In Gujarat, Arvind Kejriwal Announces Year-Long "Jobs Calendar"

Aam Aadmi Party chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today announced a jobs calendar in Gujarat -- a state the BJP has been ruling for nearly 30 years and where elections are due by the year-end. He said if voted to power, the AAP government will hold a series of exams -- including for Panchayati posts, teachers and the state police -- and make recruitment. He also declared that Army recruitments -- which have shrunk to a short-service scheme -- will be put right and announced a job quota for Gujaratis. Eighty per cent of private jobs will go to the people from the state, he said.

Giving the example of Punjab, where AAP has formed government after a massive mandate earlier this year, Mr Kejriwal said, "We changed Delhi, we're changing Punjab, and now we'll change Gujarat… The job allocation process will start within the first year of government formation".

AAP has accused Gujarat's BJP government of failing not only on key human indices like education or healthcare but also one of the driving engines of economy -- jobs creation.

The party has promised to provide jobs to 10 lakh people within five years if voted to power. Till the jobs creation is complete, the party said it would provide an allowance of Rs 3,000 to the unemployed.

Regarding the allowance, Mr Kejriwal declared that there is no lack of funds. "We will get the money to create jobs by ending just two scams," he said.

"The biggest need of Gujarat's youth is employment. There are jobs, but people are running rackets and not filling government vacancies," said senior party leader and Delhi's Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. In Delhi, they have given two lakh government jobs and 10 lakh private jobs via government schemes, he said at a Townhall in Bhavnagar.

Under the recruitment calendar for Gujarat, AAP said the exams for posts in the Panchayati Raj will be held in February, and the posting will happen in April. Exams for teachers' recruitment will be conducted in May and the results will be out the next month. In July, teachers will be given options to choose where they want to be posted.

In August, exams for all vacant teacher posts will held and the posts will be filled in October. The next month, the process for Sub Inspector's recruitment will begin and the postings will be completed by December.

Mr Kejriwal also hit out at the BJP-led Central government today over the Agniveer short service scheme for the armed forces, saying the BJP can "forgive 10 lakh crore loans for your friends and you don't have money for the army?"

"They (the Centre) said they don't have money to give pensions. We will protest this and get the forces their rights back. 130 crore people in India will sacrifice on one meal for the army. Indians will pay," he added.