Shimla, Oct 14 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government's initiative to create overseas employment opportunities for youths from the state has started yielding positive results with the first batch of five candidates reaching Saudi Arabia to begin their new jobs, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday.

In a statement issued here, he said the state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EFS Facilities Services Group Limited, based in Dubai, UAE, to enhance overseas job placements for youths from the state.

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Following the CM's visit to Dubai in December 2023, the EFS agreed to fulfill 15-20 percent of its overseas hiring needs from Himachal Pradesh, targeting up to 1,000 candidates annually in sectors such as hospitality, technical services, housekeeping, food and beverage, and office support, the statement said.

The five youths who got jobs in Saudi Arabia are: Rajat Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Jaspreet Singh and Abhinav Sharma from Una district, and Dinesh from Hamirpur district, the statement said.

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The CM had given them appointment letters in Shimla on August 31,the statement added.

The Labour and Employment Department has been tasked with developing a mechanism to track and ensure the wellbeing of candidates working abroad, the statement said.

"The State Government is committed to creating both employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth," the chief minister said.

"In just 20 months, we have generated over 31,000 positions in the government sector. We are actively working to facilitate job opportunities abroad for our youth, ensuring that more individuals can be sent overseas for work in future. This initiative aims to protect the youth of Himachal from exploitation by unscrupulous agents", the statement added.

The chief minister said that to further support self-employment, the government has launched the Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme, to inspire young people in the state to pursue their own ventures and establish sustainable livelihoods.

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