GOAL 2.0 | 21 Jul 2022

For Prelims: Goal Programme, Digital Technology, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, eSkill India Portal, Samagra Shiksha

For Mains: Significance of Digital Empowerment for society of India, Related Government Initiatives

Why in News?

Recently, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Meta (formerly Facebook) have launched the second phase of the GOAL Programme (GOAL 2.0).

What do we know about the GOAL Programme?

  • GOAL (Going Online as Leaders) was launched as a pilot project in May 2020 and it was completed by December 2021.
  • It aimed at digital empowerment of tribal youth and women through the concept of mentor and mentee.
  • The programme is fully funded by Meta (Facebook India).
  • Trainings were provided for three pillars:
    • Communication & Life Skills
    • Enabling Digital Presence
    • Leadership & Entrepreneurship

What do we need to know about GOAL 2.0?

  • About:
    • Goal 2 program will be open to all people from tribal communities.
      • In Phase-I, the digital mentorship was provided online by attaching one mentor to 2 mentees.
  • Objective:
    • The program aims to upskill and digitally enable tribal youth via Facebook live sessions and Meta Business Coach, a digital learning tool.
    • There will be special focus on more than 10 lakh members of 50000 Vandhan Self Help Groups.
      • They will be digitally trained with regard to market demand, packaging, branding and marketing of their products.
    • The GOAL 2 will enable maximum participation and percolation of benefits of the training within the tribal youth with provision of Chatbot, need based on line sessions from Industry experts in different fields as per requirements from the mentees.
  • Agencies Involved:
    • The Ministry of Tribal Affairs in coordination with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, will be providing 6 digital classes in each of the 175 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) selected under the program.
    • The project is being implemented by The Education and Research Network, which is an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeITY).

What are some other Initiatives for Skill Development?

  • Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY):
    • Under the Skill India Mission, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing the scheme.
    • Under PMKVY 3.0, focus has also been given for skilling on digital technology and Industry 4.0.
    • Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) have also created job roles on new and emerging digital technologies and industry 4.0 skills like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT).
  • eSkill India Portal:
    • National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of the MSDE has initiated online skilling through eSkill India portal.
    • The platform offers learning opportunities on emerging technologies like cybersecurity, blockchain, artificial intelligence and machine learning, predictive modelling, statistical business analytics, cloud and Internet of Things along with professional skills like design thinking, project management and digital marketing.
  • Samagra Shiksha:
    • Under the Vocational Education component of ‘Samagra Shiksha’, National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) compliant vocational courses are offered to the school students including tribal Students from class 9th to 12th in the schools covered under the scheme.
    • It consists of Communication Skills, Self-Management Skills, Information and Communication Technology Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills and Green Skills.

Source: PIB