New Delhi : To support the “Transformation of Aspirational Districts” program of NITI Aayog, which was formally launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in January 2018, that will cover 117 districts across India, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today commenced its “Aspirational Hunar Abhiyan 2018-19”.
Aspirational Hunar Abhiyan has been conceived to aid and complement the program. The campaign shall support the skilling initiatives in the aspirational districts by addressing district level challenges. Dedicated team of over 150 officers from Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Directorate General of Training (DGT), National Skill Development Agency (NSDA), National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) are being deputed to work with these districts in three phases. The Abhiyaan’s first meeting of nodal officers, held today, saw the induction of these officials who will be steering the program in close coordination with the district entities. Through this program, MSDE endeavours to facilitate strengthening of skill related governance and institutional infrastructure in the aspirational districts.
Skill development is one of the five themes, identified by NITI Aayog which is central to the success of the Aspirational Districts plan of the government. The progress shall be measured against 49 indicators identified by NITI Aayog, out of which 6 of them cater to skill development. These 6 indicators will be targeted through this drive and the States along with Central Government departments shall work collaboratively to ensure all parameters are addressed.
Setting the agenda of the program, Dr. K P Krishnan, Secretary, MSDE, in his opening remarks said, “This is MSDE’s initiative to take the NITI Aayog’s program of “Transformation of Aspirational Districts” forward with a holistic and inclusive approach towards mainstreaming the skilling efforts in aspirational districts, etc. Today’s Orientation Workshop for nodal officers is of immense importance for the success of this campaign. The three phased campaign of 117 districts across 28 states, includes:
Phase 1: Identification of Challenges,
Phase 2: Development of District Skill Development Plan (DSDP) and
Phase 3: Implementation of District Skill Development Plan. I am certain this will assist in bridging the local demand supply gap of skilled workforce.”
“The success of this Aspirational Hunar Abhiyan (AsHA) will greatly depend on effective participation of the officers present here and executing the plan as per guidelines,” he further added.
The meeting witnessed discussion around tools and templates to make this drive effective, transparent and outcome based. MSDE also used the platform to launch a centralized application making the Aspirational Hunar Abhiyaan (AsHA), a paperless campaign. The app was installed on the officers’ mobile phones and a demo was given to them to ensure ease of use. The drive also aims to create a healthy competition between the districts ensuring that they contribute their best.
The visits will begin with a meeting with Districts Collector/CEO-Zila Parishad and other district level officers. Teams will also have interactions with training providers, ITIs, Polytechnics and Jan Shikshan Sansthan administrators. Through this campaign institutional mechanism for skill development at district level viz; District Skill Committees shall be strengthened. The DSCs shall work with state skill development missions (SSDMs) to drive Skill India in these districts.
