'Fastest ramp-up': Rahul Gandhi hails 'transformative job creation' in Karnataka; minister fires a cheeky retort

NEW DELHI: Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday thanked leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi after he hailed job creation at Foxconn in Karnataka.Vaishnaw said that the Congress leader has acknowledged “the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ programme.”“Thanks Rahul Gandhi for acknowledging the success of PM Shri @narendramodi Ji’s ‘Make in India’ programme. As you have noted, we are becoming a producer economy as we implement our PM’s vision,” he said. Earlier, Rahul Gandhi, in his post, had referred to a media report titled ‘Foxconn hires 30k staff at new, women-led unit’ and said India must have jobs with dignity and opportunities for all.Also read: Ashwini Vaishnaw: Rahul Gandhi's praise for Karnataka jobs affirms Make in India success“30,000 staff hired in just eight-nine months — the fastest factory ramp-up seen in India so far. This is not just a statistic. It is transformative job creation. What makes it even more powerful is that the unit is largely women-led, with around 80% women, most aged 19–24, and for many, this is their first job,” Rahul said in his post.“Karnataka is setting an example by creating an ecosystem where manufacturing can grow at this scale and speed. This is the India we must build: jobs with dignity, and opportunities for all,” he added.This comes after the Taiwanese electronics major Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (Foxconn) recruited close to 30,000 employees at its new iPhone assembly facility in Devanahalli near Bengaluru within just eight to nine months, marking the fastest factory scale-up seen in India so far.The 300-acre facility is largely operated by women, who make up around 80% of the workforce. Most of these employees are in the 19–24 age bracket and are entering the workforce for the first time, the report said.