Government here today launched SKILL INDIA on the occasion of the first-ever World Youth Skills Day. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi was the Chief Guest for the event, which was held in the Plenary Hall of Vigyan Bhavan. The Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy was the Guest of Honour on this occasion. Union Ministers Shri Arun Jaitley, Shri Manohar Parrikar, Shri Suresh Prabhu, Shri Anant Geete, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Shri Ananth Kumar, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, Shri Piyush Goyal and Shri Santosh Kumar Gangwar were present on the dais.
Several Chief Ministers, State Ministers, Secretaries to the Government of India and other representatives from central and state governments were also present at the event. Foreign dignitaries, including Ambassadors and High Commissioners, senior industry leaders, representatives of multilateral organizations and from industry associations also attended the two-hour long main function. ITI faculty, skill trainers and trainees from a range of training programs also participated.
During the event, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi unveiled the Skill India logo and launched four landmark initiatives of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: National Skill Development Mission, National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme and the Skill Loan scheme.
The Skill India logo depicts a clenched hand in which a spanner and pencil are firmly held, exemplifying the empowerment of the individual through skilling. The spanner and pencil are held together, suggesting that both skill and general education are at parity and aspirational for India’s youth. The tagline, ‘Kaushal Bharat, Kushal Bharat’ suggests that skilling Indians (‘Kaushal Bharat’) will result in a happy, healthy, prosperous and strong nation (‘Kushal Bharat.’) A short film unveiling the logo was shown, which featured the Sanskrit chant ‘SarvadaVigyataVijaya,’bmeaning ‘Skill Always Wins.’
The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the Ministry’s flagship, demand-driven, reward-based skill training scheme will incentivise skill training by providing financial rewards to candidates who successfully complete approved skill training programmes. Over the next year, PMKVY will skill 24 lakh youth, across India. For the first time, the skills of young people who lack formal certification, such as workers in India’s vast unorganized sector, will be recognized. Through an initiative known as ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ (RPL), 10 lakh youth will be assessed and certified for the skills that they already possess.
Prime Minister also launched the Skill Loan scheme. Loans ranging from Rs 5,000-1.5 lakhs will be made available to 34 lakh youth of India seeking to attend skill development programmes over the next five years.Sanction letters for the first ever Skill Loans were handed out by the Prime Minister to aspiring trainees.
During the function, Shri Narendra Modi awarded Skill Cards and Skill Certificates to trainees who had recently completed training through the Pilot Phase of PMKVY, which started in May 2015. Such Skill Cards and Skill Certificates will allow trainees to share their skill identity with employers. Each Skill Card and Skill Certificate features a Quick Response Code (QR Code), which can be read through a QR reader on mobile devices. Trainees can use these to share their skill qualifications with employers in a quick and reliable way during the job search process.
The Prime Minister addressed the audience, articulating a clear overarching vision for Skill India. He highlighted the centrality of skills to India’s development and called on government, private sector and India’s youth to work together to make this vision a reality. The Prime Minister also highlighted the potential for skilled Indian youth to be recognized around the world. He congratulated six award winners from World Skills Oceania, an international skill competition and wished them success as they go on to compete at the World Skills Competition in Sao Paolo next month.
Across the country, 2,33,000 youth were awarded certificates from ITIs, and 18,000 plus graduating students received job offer letters on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day. The Prime Minister personally presented industry job offer letters to five female ITI graduates at the event.
The Finance, Corporate Affairs and Information & Broadcasting Minister Shri Arun Jaitley shared his vision and commitment for Skill India and highlighted the importance of coordination of skill development efforts across Ministries through the National Skill Development Mission.
The Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship welcomed the audience at the outset of the event. He outlined the steps the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is taking to turn the Prime Minister’s vision of a skilled India into reality. He also underscored the importance of strategic partnerships in achieving the Skill India vision, showcasing inter-Ministerial initiatives to scale up skill development efforts.
Five eminent persons shared their vision for Skill India. The distinguished speakers were Mr S. Ramadorai, Chairman NSDC and NDSA, Dr. Alim Chandani, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Gallaudet University, Mr Manish Sabharwal, Co-founder and CEO, Team Lease Services, Dr Romesh Wadhwani, Founder, Wadhwani Foundation and CEO, Symphony Group and Professor Mukti Misra, Founder and President, Centurion University.
Earlier soon after reaching the venue of the main event, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi visited a demonstration of the Safeducate Container School installed at Vigyan Bhavan for the event. India’s first Container School was set up in Ambala by Safeducate by refurbishing discarded containers and using them for skill training in logistics. 189 students per month will be trained using four such containers under PMKVY with a view to scale up skill initiatives quickly in areas with low levels of infrastructure.
At the exhibition, the Prime Minister interacted with students across the country through a distance learning tool being used to deliver training of trainers at 200 ITIs, with plans to deliver training directly to students. He launched the Apprenticeship portal, a one stop shop for apprenticeship related issues, which can be used by industry, students and trainers alike. He also viewed a demonstration of six simulators (drone, weaving, fork lift, tractor, driving, welding) being used to deliver skill training at centres across the country by Tata Consultancy Services.
World Youth Skills Day and the launch of SKILL INDIA were celebrated nation-wide. State Governments organized events to emphasize the importance of skill development for the youth in their states, mobilizing candidates, launching fresh training programs and felicitating successful trainees. ITIs across the country also participated in the event through a live feed of the event.
Across India, special PMKVY mobilization camps are being organized at 100 locations with Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS). A national SMS campaign is being rolled out to build awareness of the program, reaching about 40 crore subscribes. Fresh PMKVY training was initiated in 1,000 centres across all States and Union Territories in India today, covering 50,000 youth in 100 job roles across 25 sectors. In New Delhi, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy flagged off 150 Skill Vans to create awareness among people of Delhi and NCR region on government’s policies and initiatives on skill development. He said that the government has set a target to provide skill training to 40.02 crore people by 2022.
Note: News shared for public awareness as per information available online.
