Staff Reporter:
State Minister for Youth and Sports Md. Aminul Haque on Tuesday told the Parliament that the gov-ernment has undertaken a range of awareness and skills development initiatives to protect young people from mobile phone addiction, drug abuse and other social challenges.
Replying to a question from ruling party MP Sk. Md. Rejaul Islam elected from Naogaon-6, the state minister said the Department of Youth Development regularly organizes public awareness workshops in every district to educate young people about the harmful effects of excessive mobile phone use, drug addiction and other social issues.
He said awareness campaigns are also conducted through youth organisations registered with the depart-ment to promote responsible behavior among young men and women.
To keep youths engaged in productive activities and away from addiction, the Department of Youth De-velopment provides one-to six-month vocational training courses through its district offices across the country.
The courses include garment manufacturing, block and batik, fish farming, modern office management and computer applications, electrical and house wiring, electronics, refrigeration and air conditioning, and mobile phone servicing.
Besides, residential youth training centers offer courses on livestock rearing, poultry farming, fish culti-vation, primary veterinary care and agriculture. Freelancing training programs are also being imple-mented in all districts, he said.
The state minister said unemployed youths and young women at the upazila level are receiving regular training in various non-formal trades through local youth development offices based on local market demand to enhance their employability and self-employment opportunities.
He further said the government has planned several new programs to be developed within 180 days to create employment opportunities while discouraging mobile addiction and drug abuse among young people.
