Skill India celebrates 2nd anniversary on 15th July, World Youth Skills Day

The Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi started the SKILL INDIA mission and in his presence the campaign was launched on the first ever World Youth Skills day on 15^th July 2015 by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). On the 15^th of July this year the second anniversary of the World Youth Skills day was celebrated in New Delhi. To mark this important occasion the following were inaugurated:

100 GST training centres 

51 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras 

100 Yoga training centres

The celebrations were hosted by the Minister of State ( I/C) MSDE Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy and the Union Ministers who were present as the Guests of Honour were Sushri Uma Bharati, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, and Shri Dharmendra Pradhan.

Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy in this speech said, “Skill India is a hallmark mission for us and it has been a great two-year journey of Skill India. India has always been an artisan-based economy for the last 5000 years that sustained livelihoods. We have always had weavers, potters, metallurgy, farmers, gardeners etc. But with the British rule, the country learnt the art of rulers. We need to go back to our roots and find our natural skills that will make us more efficient in our work life. We all know that applied knowledge is the most relevant knowledge to gain.”

Some of the key points made by the Minister were

• This year the focus would be extensively on quality
• The schemes and programs would orient towards seeking regional balance to enable maximum people to reap the benefits and add to their personal and the nation’s growth
• The government is committed to the Prime Minister’s vision with full passion and integrity to make it successful.

Prominent Industry captains and key representatives from various companies participated in the event and more than 32000 companies pledged support to apprenticeship training for Skill India Mission under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS). MSDE also announced the launch of National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) in BFSI Sector and along with candidates receiving their apprenticeship letters at the gathering.

On the occasion, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) announced a national training Programme to certify GST practitioners under its flagship scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). This would facilitate the country’s transition to the new tax regime seamless and convenient. A total of 100 GST training centres across the nation were launched along with the training curriculum.

Other prominent ministers who addressed the guests were Minister of State (I/C) for Petroleum & Natural Gas Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Textiles Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda, Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking and Water Sanitation Shri Narendra Singh Tomar and Minister for Water Resources and River Development ajd Ganga Rejuvenation Sushri Uma Bharati. They all applauded the efforts of MSDE.

Launch of Takshasila portal for trainers and assessors

The event also witnessed the distribution of certificates for short-term/ Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) certificates to candidates trained under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). To keep up with the changing competitive world, new accreditation and affiliation guidelines for ITIs were released by the guests of honour. MSDE also launched Takshashila – a portal for trainers and assessors that would rack their training life-cycle and would function as the central repository of information concerning the development of their quality benchmarks in the Indian skill ecosystem.
Dr. K P Krishnan, Secretary, MSDE addressing the audience at the event said “Skill India is a national movement bringing together multiple stakeholders on a common platform to maximise the potential of India’s youth. This day is to celebrate the unified efforts and the convergence in skill training efforts to achieve quality and scale in our ecosystem.”

(This article is based on the press release from Government of India, MSDE)