For overseas placement of youth of the state, the Himachal Pradesh government on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with EFS Facilities Services Group Limited, based in Dubai, UAE.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

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Deputy Director (Employment) Sandeep Thakur signed the MoU on behalf of the department and Chief Executive Officer Tariq Chauhan on behalf of EFS Facilities Services Group Limited.

Chief Minister offered appointment letters to five youths Rajat Kumar, Sunil Kumar, Jaspreet Singh, Abhinav Sharma of Una district, and Dinesh of Hamirpur district of their placements overseas.

The Visa process of all the five selected candidates was under process and they were expected to go to Saudi Arabia in September this year, where they would work on the NEOM city project.

He said the MoU would pave the way for better global employment opportunities for unemployed Himachali youth and help address unemployment. He added that the process of overseas placement would now be conducted throughout the state through recruiting agencies (RAs) hired by the department.

He directed the Labour and Employment Department to evolve a mechanism to track and trace to ensure the well-being of the candidates working abroad emphasizing that Mukhya Mantri Sewa Sanklap Helpline 1100 would be associated with this task.

He said the state government will make necessary amendments to the technical courses to ensure better employment opportunities.

Sukhu said that the state government was also exploring the possibilities of more overseas employment opportunities, and for this purpose, the department will coordinate with the Consul General of India office in Dubai.

The Chief Minister said that as a part of its broader India hiring strategy, EFS plans to meet 15-20 percent of their hiring needs from the state, up to 1000 candidates per year, particularly in sectors such as Hospitality, Technical Services, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage and Office Support.

The state government was committed to providing employment and self-employment opportunities to the youth of the state, and over 31,000 posts have been created by the present state government in the government sector alone in a short span of about 20 months.

He said that the Rs 680 crore Rajiv Gandhi Start-up Scheme had been implemented in the state to motivate youth to start self-employment ventures to earn their livelihood.

Chief Executive Officer Tariq Chauhan of the Dubai-based EFS Facilities Services Group Limited said that the company is registered with the Ministry of External Affairs and is a global leader in integrated facility management, operating across 25 countries in the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, and Europe.

He said that EFS is committed to a pilot project of at least 25 candidates from this region by December 2024.

He said that no recruitment fees would be charged from the candidates and complete protection from exploitation would be provided by intermediaries.