Skill India Campaign: A Step Towards Promoting Entrepreneurship

Skill India Campaign Image

Skill India Campaign Image

15 July 2015 has been declared as the World Youth Skills Day for the first time ever. To commensurate this day, PM Narendra Modi launched the Skill India Campaign. Launched in association with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Skill India campaign is yet another prestigious and ambitious initiative by the PM for the people of our country. The Governing Council will be chaired by Narendra Modi. This campaign will have a three-tiered, high-powered decision-making framework. This is India’s first integrated national scheme for developing skills and promoting entrepreneurship at a broader scale. The previous National Policy on Skill Development was formulated by the UPA government in 2009.

Objective

  1. The mission of this campaign is to coordinate, converge, implement and monitor skill development activities across India.
  2. The government aims at providing training on skill development to 102 million youths in the country within a span of the next five years.
  3. The end objective is to train and develop the skills of the youths along with speed, scale and standards spread all over the country.
  4. The Skill India campaign will bring together key stakeholders that include the ministries, state governments, departments and other leading industrial bodies, and trainees under a single umbrella, thereby making the campaign a great success.

Policies to be Covered

While formally launching the Skill India campaign, PM Modi also launched the following development policies:

  1. National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015: This will offer policy direction to all stakeholders for skill development and growth of entrepreneurship ecosystem.
  2. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): PM also launched this flagship scheme with the objective of providing reward-based skill training. According to this scheme, financial incentives will be offered to those who complete the approved skill training programmes successfully. In the first phase (over the next one year), PMKVY is planning to provide skill training to 24 lakh youth all over India.
  3. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): The skills of the youth who lack formal certification as well as education will be recognised. This will cover young workers in the country’s large unorganised sector. The youths can be accessed on the basis of their skills and they will be certified for this. Over the next one year, the government aims at certifying 10 lakh youth under the RPL category of PMKVY.
  4. Skill loan: A skill loan initiative will also be started where more than 34 lakh youth, who want to attend skill development programmes, will be given Rs 5000 to Rs 1.5-lakh loan.

Steps Taken by the MSDE

A number of cross-sectoral partnerships have been initiated by MSDE to scale-up skill training efforts. So far, eight cross-sectoral MoUs have been signed between MSDE and other key Ministries such as Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Health & Family Welfare, Defence Ministry, Ministry of Steel & Mines, etc. Two tripartite MoUs have also been signed between MSDE and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.

The government will also give some relaxations in entrepreneurship development.

Objectives of These MoUs

  1. Improving the existing government infrastructure to offer prompt skill training programmes.
  2. Mobilise CSR of PSUs to support skill development.
  3. Upgrade equipment used by the trainees in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) / Staff Selection Commission (SSC).
  4. Scale up apprenticeship training in PSUs.
  5. Hire National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) certified personnel with incentives.
  6. Provide all types of technical and resource support.
  7. Offer vocational courses in government schools and schools run by PSUs.
  8. Establish more centres for high quality skill training.
  9. Mobilise workforce for RPL.
  10. Upgrade training programmes for handicapped and visually challenged persons.
  11. Conduct separate skill development programmes for Army personnel so that they can work even after retirement.

With the launch of the Skill India campaign, widespread awareness and mobilisation drives will be initiated to ensure that the message reaches out to every part of the country. There are also plans to launch a dedicated phone number by MSDE through which people will be able to know about the Skill Development Centers in their areas and courses just by giving a missed call.

Read More:

Skill India Programme – Objectives, Features & Advantages
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: Skill Development Scheme
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Skill development in India – Do we need to revamp our education?
Importance of Vocational Training in Generating Employment
Scope of Vocational or Technical Education in India
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