‘Skill India Kaushal Mela’ organised at Haridwar

‘Skill India Kaushal Mela’ was virtually inaugurated at Haridwar, to spread awareness regarding the various initiatives under Skill India, in Uttarakhand. The Hon’ble Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship feels that the Kumbh Mela will offer a good opportunity to share information and mobilise a large number of people under the flagship programmes/initiatives including Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS) and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) among others. Aimed at putting on display the skills that are empowering the youth of today, MSDE along with its training and implementing partners will be holding the skill pavilion from April 12 to April 30.

The Skill India Pavillion is spread across 5,000 sq. m with counselling rooms, experiential stalls and selfie booths to help and guide people on how skill training can improve their livelihood opportunities. Maintaining strict adherence with social distancing norms given the COVID-19 pandemic, the pavilion will showcase exhibitions from its training partners and 36 Sector Skill Councils to highlight the various skill-related entities in their respective domains. Further, the counselling rooms will advise people about the various opportunities for skill training, employment and entrepreneurship through Skill India training programmes.

Tirath Singh Rawat, Hon’ble Chief Minister for Uttarakhand, explained that Kaushal Mela will help inform visiting tourists about the initiatives and opportunities available. He is confident that the “addition of new jobs related to adventure tourism such as river rafting and trekking will empower the youth of Uttarakhand with the right skills that will contribute to the economic growth of both the region and nation.” This is a step in the right direction by the Government “to drive and support growth at the grassroots level through various initiatives under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ and Vocal for Local.”

Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Hon’ble Education Minister, reiterated that “through the various programmes under Skill India, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has been instrumental in skilling people and contributing to better livelihood.”

In collaboration with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). MSDE is helping youth across India, including Uttarakhand, to lead meaningful and sustainable livelihoods. Launched under the Skill India initiative, PMKVY aims to provide quality training to build a skilled and job-ready workforce catering to the evolving demands of the industry
In Uttarakhand, under PMKVY’s Short Term Training (STT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programmes, over 60,000 students have already been trained. Over 3,000 candidates have been enrolled under PMKVY 3.0until December 2020. Around 92 Industrial Training Institutes are there in Uttarakhand with capacity of over 15,000 students per year.