PM-DAKSH Scheme

• 09 Aug 2021

Why in News

Recently, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched ‘PM-DAKSH’ (Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi) Portal and ‘PM-DAKSH’ Mobile App to make the skill development schemes accessible to the target groups - Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Safai Karamcharis.

Key Points

• About
  
  • PM-DAKSH Yojana is being implemented from the year 2020-21.
  • Under this, eligible target groups are provided with the skill development training programmes on Short Term Training Program; Up-Skilling/Reskilling; Entrepreneurship Development Programme, and Long Term Training Programme.
    
    • These training programmes are being implemented through the government training institutes, sector skill councils that have been constituted by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and other credible institutions.
• Eligibility:
  
  • Marginalized persons of SC (Scheduled Caste), OBC (Other Backward Classes), Economically Backward Classes, Denotified tribes, Sanitation workers including waste pickers, manual scavengers, transgenders and other similar categories.
• Implementation:
  
  • It is implemented by the three Corporations under the Ministry:
    
    • National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC),
    • National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC),
    • National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC).
• Status of Skill Development Training of Target Groups:
  
  • Skill development training has been imparted to 2,73,152 people of the target groups in the last 5 years.
  • A target, during the year 2021-22, has been set to provide the skill development training to approx 50,000 people of the target groups through these three corporations.
• Significance of the Scheme:
  
  • Most of the persons of the target groups have minimal economic assets; therefore, provision of training and enhancing their competencies is essential for economic empowerment/ upliftment of these marginalized target groups.
  • Many of the persons of the target groups belong to the category of rural artisans who have become marginalized owing to the coming of better technologies in the market.
  • Women due to their overall domestic compulsions, cannot be involved in wage employment which normally involves long working hours and sometimes migration to other cities, there is a need to empower the women amongst the target groups.

Initiatives Related to Skill Development

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0: It was launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in 2021 in a bid to empower India’s youth with employable skills by making over 300 skill courses available to them.
• National Career Service Project: Launched in 2015 to offer free online career skills training to job-seekers registered with it. It is an initiative of the Ministry of Labour & Employment.
• Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood (SANKALP): Its focus is on district-level skilling ecosystem through convergence and coordination. It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme which is collaborated with the World Bank.
• Kaushalacharya Awards: Launched to recognize the contribution made by skill trainers and to motivate more trainers to join the Skill India Mission.
• Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS): The scheme is to provide industry apprenticeship opportunities to the general graduates exiting in April 2019 through the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS). It was launched by the Ministry of Education.
• Atmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM): Launched by MSDE in 2020, it is a portal to help skilled people find sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Source: PIB