UP elections: 20 lakh jobs in Congress' UP vision document

NEW DELHI: With young voters crucial in the battle for Uttar Pradesh, Congress' Vision Document 2020, to be released on Friday, will promise 1000 skill development centres in Uttar Pradesh to create 20 lakh jobs.

Rahul Gandhi, spearheading the Congress campaign in the state, has been blaming inability of the state government to create jobs as the principal reason for large-scale migration to big cities. Congress hopes the measure will help it win over majority of new voters, who make up a third of the electorate.

The vision document, which seeks to address the issue of unemployment, will promise skill development programmes for ailing industries in cities like Aligarh, Firozabad, Bhadohi, Kannuj, Kanpur, Lucknow, Varanasi and many others cities. The vision document will be released in 10 major towns of UP.

The vision document will provide a roadmap for the overall development of the state and steps to revive the ailing carpet industry of Bhadohi, lock industry of Aligarh, chicken embroidery work of Lucknow, bangle industry of Firozabad and tannery industry of Kanpur.

The document will also announce special programmes for the backward Bundelkhand. This is aimed at countering Mayawati's hold over the region and BJP's latest attempts to woo the voters of area through its new-found Most Backward Caste supporters.