After successfully training and providing jobs to over 6,000 economically backward youths through its unique Livelihood Advancement Business School (LABS) programme, Dr Reddy's Foundation for Human and Social Development (DRFHSD) has set an ambitious target to cover one million unemployed youth across the country by the year 2005.

LABS, sponsored by Dr Reddy's Group in partnership with over 30 corporate houses, have also initiated steps to rope in major corporate houses, including Ambanis and Bajajs, to replicate the model across the country.

Currently, LABS, a public-private partnership, is operating in six states and is planning to spread it to seven more states by the year-end. The important partners of the initiative include the Murugappa Group, the Rane Group, Hindustan Lever Ltd, Khivraj Motors, the Standard Chartered Babk, Voltas, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC), Fabmart and Fair & Lovely Foundation. This was apart from the partnership with the AP government in youth empowerment programmes and Velugu. The LABS programme was developed by students at the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, and Dr Reddy's had contributed about Rs 1.5 crore to the project till date.

Addressing the media on the occasion of the first Corporate Consortium of Livelihoods and the National Youth Festival of the LABS, Dr Anji K Reddy, Chairman of Dr Reddy's Foundation, said, " LABS was so far able to impart livelihood training for over 6,000 young people from the economically weak backgrounds. Through LABS, we wish to create one million jobs by 2005. This can be accomplished only with the help of people's movement. LABS is for everyone and yet does not belong to anyone."

Outside the state, LABS had been established in Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kochi. " We are now looking forward to taking it to countries like Vietnam, Mauritius, Maldives and Sri Lanka," Dr Reddy said.

N Vittal, chairman, Commission on People's Empowerment, AP Chapter, said, " People talk about industries and employment generation in the urban areas. But what is necessary at this juncture is creating opportunities for the under-privileged youth and women in rural areas. What the Reddy's Foundation is doing is very significant than its drug research programme. There was vast scope for generating employment opportunities in the rural sector, especially in areas such as agriculture, floriculture and horticulture, he said.

Explaining the performance of LABS, Nalini Gangadharan, Executive Director of DRFHSD, said the programme was now being run in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medak, Mehboobnagar, Chittor and Nalgonda districts of Andhra Pradesh and would be extended to Nellore, Kakinada, Vijayawada and Guntur by August this year.

More than 100 corporate and business leaders and representatives of NGOs from across the country attended the one-day Corporate Consortium on Livelihoods. About 1,200 LABS alumni, who completed their training and successfully obtained jobs, attended the Youth Festival organised by the Foundation. The Youth Festival was inaugurated by Amala Akkineni.