Nagpur: Conceptualized by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, the Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav is often portrayed as a boon for industries. However, Nitin Ronghe, Convenor of Mahavidarbha Janjagaran, and Vishal Muttemwar, General Secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), took a dig at the event, giving it a reality check and raising a significant question, “Is ‘Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav’ merely a hoodwink to hide the lack of opportunities?”
In the recently organized press conference, Nitin Ronghe, Convenor of Mahavidarbha Janjagaran, stated that, “Back in 2007, Gadkari had claimed that over one lakh youths had been employed at MIHAN. He even used a projector to highlight this so-called feat in a function organized at Yashwant Stadium. However, if over one lakh youths have been employed at MIHAN, then why are there no traffic snarls on the MIHAN Flyover?” He asked and mentioned that Khasdar Audogik Mohotsav is similar to hoodwink!
Ronghe also belittled Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s claim of employing over 11,000 youths in December 2023’s job fair organized in Nagpur. “After the job fair, we’ve seen banners flashing that over 11,000 youths have found employment at the event. However, who was placed where? What package? This critical information was missing from the endorsement,” informed Ronghe.
“Fadnavis is often active on social media platforms and enjoys a tremendous fan following on these sites. However, not a single individual who had been placed through this job fair has posted anything thanking the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, which makes me wonder about the high claims of this job fair’s success,” he lamented.
Ronghe also sought an explanation from Fadnavis regarding how much investment Vidarbha got through Advantage Maharashtra, Make in India, and Davos. He also demanded Fadnavis to reveal how many backlogs from Vidarbha’s Government Jobs share have been cleared since 2014.
Speaking on a similar matter, Vishal Muttemwar, General Secretary of MPCC, questioned the timing of Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav and reminded Gadkari of his promise of 50,000 yearly jobs.
“Before the Lok Sabha Elections in 2014, Gadkari had promised 50,000 jobs every year in the region. If he had launched Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav back then, it would have helped in attracting investors in the region. However, launching it after several years, that too ahead of Lok Sabha Elections, clearly establishes one thing: that he had failed in generating jobs in the region,” Muttemwar contended.
Muttemwar also suggested to Gadkari that, “Besides organizing Khasdar Audyogik Mahotsav, Gadkari should take stock of various MSMEs that had been shut down due to lack of support from the Maharashtra Government and also evaluate the reasons behind industries shifting to neighboring states.
– Shubham Nagdeve
