SEEDAP Chairman Deepak Reddy highlights Andhra Pradesh’s skill training, job creation, overseas employment and Naipunyam initiatives for youth.
Mangalagiri: SEEDAP Chairman Deepak Reddy said the Andhra Pradesh coalition government was implementing a focused strategy to equip young people with industry-ready skills and expand employment opportunities, while accusing the YSR Congress Party of misleading unemployed youth through street plays and political propaganda.
Addressing a press conference at the TDP Central Office in Mangalagiri on Friday, Deepak Reddy questioned the YSRCP’s recent street plays on unemployment, saying they did not genuinely represent the concerns of Gen-Z youth. He also criticised attempts to question the merit of candidates selected through the DSC recruitment process.
Referring to the recent SIT chargesheet concerning alleged irregularities in APPSC during the previous government, he said the issue affected the careers of thousands of young people and demanded that former Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy apologise to the youth.
Rejecting allegations that the coalition government was not creating jobs, Deepak Reddy said Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was pursuing the Swarna Andhra Vision 2047.
He claimed Andhra Pradesh had attracted 25 per cent of recent investments coming into India and that foreign direct investment had increased six-fold compared with the previous government.
According to Deepak Reddy, projects worth Rs. 11.37 lakh crore had already been grounded, with around 10 lakh confirmed jobs expected to be created. These projects were also projected to generate Rs. 29,404 crore in State revenue.
He said investment commitments of nearly Rs. 23 lakh crore had been received over the past two years, with around 24 lakh future jobs expected.
On the 20 lakh jobs promised during Nara Lokesh’s Yuva Galam Padayatra, he said 7,28,347 jobs had already been provided across government and private-sector employment.
Deepak Reddy said 79,804 students had received training through nearly 1,501 centres across the State. These included ITIs, degree and engineering colleges, APSSDC and SEEDAP centres and National Academy of Construction facilities.
He said around 2,117 job fairs had been conducted and 1,666 youth had been sent abroad for employment in 11 countries through the overseas employment programme.
He contrasted the figures with the previous government, alleging that SEEDAP had facilitated only 7,295 jobs during 2020-21 and that delays in payments to colleges had weakened the training ecosystem.
The chairman said Andhra Pradesh was now ranked first in the country in placements and second in training, and had also received a SKOCH Award.
Deepak Reddy said the government was spending more than Rs. 1 lakh per trainee for a three-month SEEDAP programme, with training and support provided free of cost.
The programme includes transportation, counselling, uniforms, study material, training, food, accommodation, assessments, examinations, NSDC certification and on-the-job training.
He said a new rule aimed to ensure placements for nearly 95 per cent of newly trained candidates, with six months of stipend support after placement.
The Union Government, he added, had approved an additional Rs. 1,022 crore to train another 91,163 students, while around Rs. 1,231 crore had been allocated across five to six departments for skill development.
Deepak Reddy highlighted the Naipunyam portal as a one-stop platform for skills and employment. He said it offers live training and placement information, AI-enabled skill assessments, CV support, interview preparation, career guidance, course information and job matching.
The platform also generates a Skill ID Card and Skill Passport, helping employers identify candidates based on their skills.
Deepak Reddy appealed to youth to focus on acquiring skills rather than being influenced by political campaigns. He challenged YSRCP leaders to raise employment-related issues in the Assembly, saying the coalition government was ready to place the facts before the public.
