Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela | 14 Dec 2022

For Prelims: National Skill Development Mission, PMKVY, Initiatives related to Skill development.

For Mains: Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela, Skill India Mission.

Why in News?

Recently, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has held Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Mela (PMNAM) under Skill India Mission.

  • The event witnessed the participation of various companies from different sectors and had the chance to meet potential apprentices on a single platform and choose applicants on the spot and provide them with an opportunity to be a part of their organization.

What are the Key Points of PMNAM?

  • Under NSDM, apprenticeship melas are hosted every month, wherein selected individuals receive a monthly stipend in accordance with government criteria for gaining new skills.
  • PMNAM is being used as a platform to increase the participation of establishments and students. It is also providing awareness to the youth on various opportunities existing across the participating companies.
  • The major purpose of this programme is to encourage companies to hire more apprentices, while also assisting employers in discovering the right talent and developing their potential via training and practical experience.
  • It aims to raise apprenticeship opportunities in India to 10 lakhs by the end of 2022, and to 60 lakhs by 2026.
  • The government is striving to train 1 million youth per annum through apprenticeship training and to fulfil this mission.

What is Skill India Mission?

  • Skill India Mission was launched on 15th July, 2015 by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
  • The initiatives include National Skill Development Mission, National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme and the Skill Loan scheme.
    • PMKVY incentivises skill training by providing financial rewards to candidates who successfully complete approved skill training programmes.
    • Under the Skill Loan scheme, loans ranging from RS 5,000-1.5 lakh is made available to youths seeking to attend skill development programmes.
  • It was launched in order to provide a strong institutional framework to implement and scale up skill development efforts across the country.

What are the Various Initiatives taken for Skill Development?

  • SANKALP and STRIVE: The SANKALP programme which focuses on the district-level skilling ecosystem and the STRIVE project which aims to improve the performance of ITIs (Industrial Training Institute) are other significant skilling interventions.
  • Initiatives from Several Ministries: Nearly 40 skill development programmes are implemented by 20 central ministries/departments. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship contributes about 55% of the skilling achieved.
    • Initiatives by all ministries have resulted in nearly four crore people being trained through various traditional skills programmes since 2015.
  • Mandatory CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility)Expenditure in Skilling: Since the implementation of mandatory CSR spending under the Companies Act, 2013, corporations in India have invested over ₹100,000 crores in diverse social projects.
    • Of these, about ₹6,877 crores were spent on skilling and livelihood enhancement projects. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Karnataka, and Gujarat were the top five recipient States.
  • TEJAS Initiative for Skilling: TEJAS (Training for Emirates Jobs and Skills), a Skill India International Project to train overseas Indias was launched at the Dubai Expo, 2020.
    • The project aims at skilling, certification and overseas employment of Indians and creating pathways to enable the Indian workforce to get equipped for skill and market requirements in the UAE.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Prelims

Q. With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements: (2018)

  1. It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
  2. It, among other things, will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.
  3. It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only 
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Ans: (c)

Mains

Q. “Demographic Dividend in India will remain only theoretical unless our manpower becomes more educated, aware, skilled and creative.” What measures have been taken by the government to enhance the capacity of our population to be more productive and employable? (2016)

Source: PIB