Udupi : Pramod Madhwaraj, Minister of State for Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports, said on Friday that youth should look forward to become self employed than seeking jobs.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Mega Job Fair organised by the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports at the District Indoor Stadium, here.

As many as 77 companies participated in the fair and about 2,300 youth registered for it. As many as 800 candidates were shortlisted in the interviews conducted.

Mr. Madhwaraj said that those who became self-employed also created jobs for others. It honed their entrepreneurial capabilities. However, for those seeking the jobs, the State government was doing all it could to improve their skills so that they could get selected by private firms. The State government had filled over one lakh vacancies by appointing doctors, village accountants, Panchayat Development Officers, paramedical staff, surveyors, police personnel and teachers.

He said that a large section of the population of the country was young. This youth should not only be educated but also showcase industry-friendly skills. It was to improve the skills of the youth that the State government had recently launched the portal ‘kaushalkar.com’ through the Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Livelihood.

It was only when the youth became productive that the country could reap the benefits of the demographic dividend. Countries such as Japan or China had an ageing population and hence the question of demographic dividend did not arise in their case.

The Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports had tied up with the Mandamus Education Academy to develop skills of the youth and improve their job prospects. He had asked the Mandamus Education Academy to start a vocational training centre, placement cell and rural BPO in Udupi.

Udupi district had topped the State in the recent results of the SSLC and Second Year PUC examinations. This testified to the quality of teaching, educational institutions and students in the district, Mr. Madhwaraj said.