Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today emphasized the need to strengthen the ‘State Skill Development Missions’ across the country thereby making them as nodal points for convergence of skilling initiatives for optimum utilization besides its three tier de-centralization at the state, district and block level.Presiding over the 5th & final meeting to deliberate upon the recommendations of the Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Skill Development here at NITI Aayog, Mr. Badal as its convener further recommended to involve panchayats, Municipalities and civil society organizations for mobilizing of skills aspirants. He apprised the fellow Chief Ministers that the sub-group has already accomplished its substantial task and the draft report was nearing the stage of completion. Mr. Badal highlighted some key recommendations like exploring legislation on ‘Right of Youth to Skill Development’ as already done by Chattisgarh Government. “We already have empowered our citizens with Right to Information, Right to Education, Right to Food Security etc and now time has come when we have to give Right to Skill to every youth in the country”, asserted Mr. Badal.
Similarly, the Sub-Group also recommended mobilizing private sector for skill development apart from opening up of National Skill Development Council and Sector Skill Council Chapters at the state level or the regional level for better co-ordination.Stressing the need for improving access and outreach, the sub-group recommended to initiate vocational education from middle school and giving flexibility to state government to introduce traditional and local skills suitable to local needs and promotes entrepreneurship. To make his stand clear on this issue, Mr. Badal also suggested imparting skill development training to youth in the health care sector, local trades and crafts such as handicrafts and wood works as in North Eastern States. Similarly, the youth in Agriculture & Animal Husbandry related occupations of Bee-keeping, Dairying, Fisheries etc. could be skilled in pre-dominantly agrarian states to enable the youth to be gainfully employed through occupations nearby their homes.To overcome the shortage of trainers and qualified instructors, Mr. Badal said that a special focus would be given to impart skill training to rural youth, women, persons with disabilities and informal sector besides developing the pool of trainers and instructors to initiate skill development programs in far more effective and result oriented manner.For this, he advocated the concept of involving Skill Universities for harnessing the unbounded talent of qualified trainers optimally besides conducting skill gap studies to identify local/traditional skills.
Dwelling on the most crucial aspect of funding skill development, Mr. Badal outlined several recommendations as suggested by the members of the sub-group firstly, out of 2% of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds at least half the amount of 1% may be earmarked exclusively for skill development activities, secondly, levying a cess for skill development for creating a non-lapsable pool, thirdly, use of building & construction welfare fund, CAMPA fund, state mineral fund, MPLADS/MLA in skilling.Elaborating on these issues, Mr. Badal forcefully pleaded that the funds available with Labour Welfare Board should be utilised for skill development of all the under-privileged and other eligible youth instead of merely restricting it to the wards of building and construction workers.
Earlier, in his address, Mr. Badal congratulated the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi for setting up of sub-group of Chief Ministers on Skill Development and referred to data, according to which our country needs to provide skill training to 109 million new entrants to the job market and around 460 million people to be re-skilled and up-skilled up to 2020, in the light of the fact as the India today is the youngest country in the world with 65% of its population below the age of 35. “For realizing the dream of our Prime Minister to make India an economic super power, we will have to impart skill training to each and every youth of the country”, said Mr. Badal.
Summing up the deliberations, the NITI Aayog CEO Mrs. Sindushree Khullar said that the final report would be submitted to the Prime Minister by Mr. Badal within a week after having duly incorporating the fresh recommendations & suggestions made by the members in today’s meeting. The members of the sub-group also authorized Mr. Badal to submit the final report to the Prime Minister.Prominent amongst others who attended the meeting included the Chief Minister Assam Mr. Tarun Gogoi, Chief Minister Chattisgarh Mr. Raman Singh, Chief Minister Goa Mr. Laxmikant Parsekar, Chief Minister Meghalaya Dr. Mukul Sangma and Chief Minister Tripura Mr. Manik Sarkar.Mr. Badal was accompanied by his Special Principal Secretary Mr. KJS Cheema, Principal Secretary Technical Education Mr. MP Singh, Secretary Technical Eductaion Mr. Rakesh Verma and Director Technical Education Mr. B. Purusartha.