New Delhi: The Skill India campaign, one of the pet projects of the government of India, is steadily moving up the value chain by reaching out to higher-end skill spectrum. Now, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has launched Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana , a scheme dedicated for entrepreneurship education and training. Pradhan Mantri Yuva Yojana will provide entrepreneurship education and training to over 7 lakh students in 5 years through 3,050 Institutes across India.
On the occasion of second foundation day of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Minister of State(I/C) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Mr Rajiv Pratap Rudy, yesterday launched the Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana, MSDE’s flagship scheme on entrepreneurship education and training. The institutes under the PM’s YUVA Yojana include 2,200 Institutes of Higher Learning (colleges, universities, and premier institutes), 300 schools, 500 ITIs and 50 Entrepreneurship Development Centres, through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
The scheme spans over five years (2016-17 to 2020-21) with a project cost of Rs. 499.94 crore. It will also include easy access to information and mentor network, credit, incubator and accelerator and advocacy to create a pathway for the youth.
Speaking on the occassion Mr Rudy said, with this the government has taken important strides to scale up entrepreneurship in the country. He said, Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana has national and international best practices of learning in entrepreneurship education. He said, MSDE’s two institutions dedicated to entrepreneur education and training – NIESBUD and IIE- have trained more than 7 lakh trainees including 2,600 persons from more than 125 countries in the field of entrepreneurial skills till date.
The announcement on scheme was made at a day-long national conference of State Ministers on “Skilling with quality” which saw more than 80% of the States making their representations. The conference emphasised on the need for strengthening institutional mechanisms for skill development at the State level and bringing in a more robust framework ensuring quality output, outcome and impact on the youth of our country.
Addressing the Conference, Secretary MSDE Mr Rohit Nandan, said, Skills have to maintain a certain baseline standard and we should not get caught in the numbers. Skills cannot be compromised at any cost and States should partner with the Centre to verify and grade ITIs and Training Partners so that quality and standards can be maintained. The Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) will work closely with the local authorities and industries towards job aggregation. Those who perform well will be incentivised while those who do not perform will have to exit.
