India needs employability, not employment: Jitendra Singh

Advocating social entrepreneurship as a means to bring about positive social changes, Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said India needs employability and not employment because no country in the world can provide jobs to all.
"What India today requires is employability not employment. It is wrong to say that the government is not providing employment. We have failed to understand that no country in the world can ever, through government sectors, provide jobs to all and that should not be the consideration of a visionary government. We have to provide employability," Singh said.
Speaking at a programme organised by School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) India, supported by PwC India and British Council India, Singh presented the graduation address at the event and congratulated 16 social entrepreneurs, working in diverse fields like healthcare and livelihood generation, who completed the SSE India Fellowship programme.

He said that in the last few years, the demography and priorities in education are changing.
"Earlier, most of the civil servants were from Bihar, Tamil Nadu, now you have from Haryana, Punjab where you thought there were more farming. India of the second decade of 21st century is quite different from what it was," the MoS PMO said.
The minister said that the education system in Indian society was governed by lot of illusions and misconceptions

"The greatest casualty of aptitude happens in our Indian households. The moment a child is out of class 10th, the first influence come from the parents. They send him to coaching institutes and Mukherjee Nagar," he said.

The minister also said youngsters must be allowed to choose what field they would like to pursue for themselves, which is sometimes not allowed by the usual Indian environment at home and school.
Singh, who is minister of Development of North Eastern Region, also pitched for organic farming as a career avenue.
"We have managed to declare Sikkim as the first organic state of the country and for those who are interested in organic farming, I think we have an opportunity there. The Prime Minister announced the programme Startup India, Standup India. I have added one more ingredient.
"For those who would like to venture in organic thing or some other entrepreneurship in the northeast, for them from the northeast ministry, we will provide additional venture fund also in addition to what is already available," the minister said.

The event was also attended by Jaivir Singh, chairperson of SSE India, Deepak Kapoor, PwC India chairman, St John Gould, director of UK Trade and Economics, British High Commission and Ness Wadia, SSE India Board member.