With the objective of empowering India’s youth with employable skills, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0, in nearly 600 districts. Over 300 skill courses will be offered to the youth, adopting a more demand-driven and decentralised approach to skill development.
Launched virtually by Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister, MSDE, the third edition of is expected to support the local economy, and is designed to keep pace with changing demands, both at the global and local levels.
The programme will cover 717 districts and 28 States/eight Union Territories (UTs), and is a positive step towards ‘Atmnanirbhar Bharat’. With a more decentralised structure, PMKY 3.0 will have greater responsibilities and enjoy support from the states/UTs and districts. District Skill Committees (DSCs), under the guidance of State Skill Development Missions (SSDM), shall play a key role in addressing the skill gap and assessing demand at the district level. The new scheme will be more trainee- and learner-centric and will establish increased connect at state, district and block levels. The focus will be on bridging the demand-supply gap by promoting skill development in areas of new-age and Industry 4.0 job roles.
While the National Educational Policy puts focus on vocational training for a holistic growth and increased employability, PMKVY 3.0 will propagate vocational education at an early level for youth to capitalise on industry-linked opportunities
Pandey pointed out that the “Prime Minister’s vision of “Vocal for local and Atmanirbhar Bharat can only be achieved by furthering the skilling ecosystem to the district level.” According to him, “taking the bottom-up approach to training will identify job roles that have demand at the local level and skill the youth, linking them to these opportunities.”
“Skilling is not an objective but a necessary prerequisite for the economic growth of the country,” explained RK Singh, Union Minister of State (I/C) Ministry of Power, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Minister of State, MSDE.
