Kolkata : Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy on Tuesday expressed hope of the Centre partnering the Mamata government when it comes to skill development.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) event, Rudy said participation of states was a must for the success of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s skill development vision. To improve employability of youths, the Centre is embarking on a process to integrate skill development with education, for which financial assistance would be given to states, Rudy added.
Funds would be given to the states for developing skill sets among the youth for which the ministry has set up a corpus of Rs 32,000 crore provided jointly by World Bank, Prime Minister Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and Apprentice Yojana.
Speaking to media persons, Rudy said: “Bengal is a very important state for us. I am aware that the chief minister is very keen on skill development. I have met the senior principal secretary and we are going to have a structured meeting with the government of West Bengal. I would love to meet Mamata didi to see what best can be done for Bengal, particularly in Dooars, Siliguri and Darjeeling.”
“In the remotest parts of Bengal, there is a great opportunity to expand skill development network, I am sure we will partner with state government and start work at a bigger level,” he added.
Appreciating the state government’s efforts to set up more ITIs in Bengal, Rudy said the Directorate General of Training (DGT) would provide affiliations to these new centres. “The DGT will give affiliation to the new ITIs set up in the state,” he added.
Speaking at the session, the minister said while there was a huge demand for skilled workers, the supply was not much. “We need around 18 lakh drivers but there is no system to train drivers,” he added.
Claiming that the primary focus has only been on education, Rudy suggested that formal education for 10 to 12 years should be supplemented with 10-weeks of training, which would make youths employable. “Make in India will not happen if there are no makers,” he said.
Stating the ITIs would be moved from the labour ministry to his ministry, Rudy said it was the Prime Minister who realized the need for a separate approach for developing skills. “For long, skill development was being looked after by the education ministry and then the HRD ministry. It was the Prime Minister who realized the need for a separate ministry for skill… The skill development and entrepreneurship ministry had pitched for imparting skill education among students of Classes VII to XII,” he added.
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