Amritsar (Punjab) [India], September 20 : Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri highlighted the steady expansion of national employment initiatives at the 20th edition of the Rozgar Mela held in Amritsar, noting that the initiative has crossed a major milestone with roughly 12.5 to 13 lakh appointment letters issued nationwide.
Addressing the media, the Union Minister emphasised that 51,000 appointment letters were handed over across 45 locations, while expressing that he has felt fortunate to participate in 17 of the 20 editions held so far.
"I have come here for the Rozgar Mela (Job Fair) event. This was the 20th edition of the Rozgar Mela. It was launched in 2022, and since then, 20 such fairs have been held, with 12.5 to 13 lakh appointment letters issued across the country. In today's event, 51,000 appointment letters were handed over across 45 different locations. I am very fortunate to have attended 17 of these 20 editions," Hardeep Singh Puri said.
Puri also addressed the global turmoil caused by the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, stressing that the administration effectively managed the country's extensive network of 107,000 retail fuel outlets.
He said, "Amidst global turmoil, particularly following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has set the global energy sector ablaze, we have managed our 107,000 retail points effectively.”
Dismissing opposition complaints as unfounded misinformation, the Union Minister emphasised that not a single retail station ran dry during the volatile period and said, “Opposition parties continue to complain, yet not a single one of these 107,000 retail points has run dry. They attempted to spread a lot of false information.”
The Union Minister further acknowledged that liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) presented genuine logistical hurdles while lauding the Prime Minister's leadership for ensuring there was no shortage.
“We did have genuine concerns regarding LPG, as our daily consumption is 90,000 metric tonnes while domestic production was around 34,000–35,000 metric tonnes. Most of our supplies came from countries near the Strait of Hormuz, and those supplies dwindled... However, thanks to the measures taken under the Prime Minister's leadership, we ensured there was no shortage,” Hardeep Singh Puri said.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the role of 'Mission Karmayogi' in equipping public servants with modern skills and technological adaptability, urging newly inducted government personnel to embrace continuous learning while striving to eliminate administrative bottlenecks for common citizens.
Addressing newly appointed government recruits virtually at the 20th Rozgar Mela, the Prime Minister said, "Rapid changes are taking place across every sector in the country today. You have reached this stage through continuous learning. Now, a new journey of ongoing learning begins. You must constantly hone your skills and understand new technologies and systems. 'Mission Karmayogi' helps you achieve this very objective. More than 1.7 crore government employees have already joined the 'iGOT Karmayogi' platform, and 'Karmayogi Prarambh' has been specially designed for new colleagues like you," PM Modi said.
Emphasising that entering public administration brings an institutional responsibility to make governance citizen-friendly, the Prime Minister exhorted the new recruits to ensure that ordinary people are spared the bureaucratic hardships they or their parents might have endured.
"You are now becoming part of the government system yourselves. Therefore, you should strive to ensure that other young people do not have to face the same difficulties that you or your parents had to endure. No citizen of our country should ever have to suffer the hardships that your parents or you yourselves have faced. You should begin this work the moment you enter the government system," the Prime Minister added.
'Mission Karmayogi,' the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building, serves as the government's flagship initiative to transition from rules-based to roles-based public administration, with 'Karmayogi Prarambh' functioning as an online orientation module tailored specifically for all new appointees joining various ministries and departments.
The Prime Minister’s remarks came as the 20th Rozgar Mela was being organised at 45 locations across the country, with more than 51,000 appointment letters being distributed to newly appointed youth in various government organisations.
The recruits are joining different Ministries and Departments, including the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Financial Services and Ministry of Defence. With the 20th Rozgar Mela, about 12.75 lakh youth received appointment letters through the initiative.