Three union ministers — Piyush Goyal, Narayan Rane and Ramdas Athawale presented appointment letters to various Central government jobs at separate functions held in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur respectively, on Saturday.

The functions came shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi kick-started the recruitment drive for 10 lakh people in the next one year with the induction of 75,000 youth on the eve of Diwali.

The jobs are being given directly by 38 separate Central ministries/departments, or vide UPSC, Railway Recruitment Board and State Service Commissioners, with a simplified tech-enabled, speedy recruitment process.

Goyal, Rane and Athawale handed over the recruitment letters to hundreds of selected candidates in the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Indian Posts, Indian Railways, Armed Forces Medical College, CISF, RCF, MDL, ITD, CBIC, ESIC, several public sector, regional and rural banks, IIT-Bombay, BSF and other organisations.

The three Central ministers urged the new recruits to work with dedication in their new assignments to ensure fulfilling the PM’s dream of a developed India in the next 25 years.

The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi allies Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Shiv Sena (UBT) slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government’s decision to “wake up after eight-and-half years” with an eye on the ensuing states elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said that the government is making big hue and cry over the ‘job jamborees’ held on Saturday when the fact is that the recruitment examinations and process for most of these posts were completed over two years ago but the candidates were not hired for making political gains later.

NCP’s Chief Spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said that compared with the 2-crore jobs promised by Modi when he took power, what is actually being offered after over 8 years is a pittance, that too with political motives.

Terming it as “another big hoax and hogwash”, SS (UBT)’s Spokesperson Kishore Tiwari said for giving just 75K appointment letters, Modi has taken eight-and-half years, that too before the elections in Gujarat, Haryana and other states.

“Where are vacancies in the State and Central government with automations or outsourcing or selling off valuable public sector assets? The PM’s assurance of 2 crore jobs every year for his tenure of 10 years comes to 20 crore jobs. It will take a century to fulfil his promise at the current speed. The government is fooling the masses before the state and Lok Sabha polls,” Tiwari added.

Londhe said that over 22-crore youth have registered for employment on the government’s Shram portal of which only 700,000 have got jobs, while the CMIE has said more than 45 crore people have given up hopes for any job opportunities.

The Congress leader also targeted Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ statement promising to create 72,000 jobs in the state, and said the (state) government is not capable of even giving 72 jobs.

Today’s ‘Rozgar Mela’ saw the participation of union and state ministers, elected leaders and other officials in different parts of India.