Skill India conducts regional workshop to accelerate implementation of PMKVY 3.0 in North Eastern Region

With the vision to empower the youth of North Eastern Region(NER) with industry-relevant skills to enhance their productivity and contribute to the economic development of the country, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has conducted a first-of-its-kind regional workshop for Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 3.0 in Gangtok, Sikkim.

The workshop was held with active participation of key personnel of State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs) and District Skill Committees (DSCs) across all eight states – Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram Nagaland, and Tripura. Aimed at learning from the best practices, understanding the challenges related to PMKVY 3.0, and building detailed understanding on the usage of technical platforms – Skill India Portal (SIP), the workshop witnessed participation of key central and state government officials.  

Reputed dignitaries including Shri Satish Chandra Rai, Advisor, Skill Development Department, State of Sikkim; Shri Praveen Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE); Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, MSDE; Dr. Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, NSDC, Shri Sanjeev Kumar Joint Director (Skill Development), MSDE; Smt. Ganga Devi Pradhan, Secretary, Skill Development Department, Government of Sikkim; among others graced the workshop with their participation. Various Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) also attended the workshop through video conferencing.

Sharing his thoughts, Shri Praveen Kumar, Secretary, MSDE, said, “Under the ‘Act East’ vision of our Hon’ble PM Narendra Modi, priority is being accorded to the overall development of the North Eastern Region. Aligned with the Government’s relentless efforts to drive holistic development of the NER region, today’s workshop has been envisioned to enhance the scope and impact of skill development efforts under PMKVY 3.0 across all eight states to empower the youth in North East India become industry- ready for jobs of the future. Today’s discussion was also instrumental in understanding the constraints faced by local authorities and key learnings which will help us to develop an even better PMKVY 4.0 scheme.”

Adequate attention is required to impart future-relevant skills in line with industry 4.0 and enable youth in NER to explore sustainable livelihood opportunities and promote the government’s ‘vocal for local’ scheme. A constructive dialogue between Central and State governments is fundamental to synergise all initiatives of skill development in the country. PMKVY 3.0 reflects a radical shift in the implementation of training with increased participation of states and districts based on a bottom-up approach. Demand-based preferential training target allocation, to adopt the rapidly changing needs of different sectors, will help meet the aspirations of the youth in NER under PMKVY 3.0.

“North Eastern states are unique in terms of their rich natural as well as agro-climatic resources, diverse culture, and native trades and hence support of SSDMs and DSCs is essential for well-orchestrated implementation of PMKVY 3.0. This workshop has established that their inputs and insights will play an integral role in the success of the scheme. It is therefore critical for all of us to join forces and support the Government’s efforts to not only promote NER’s arts and crafts and culture but to also bolster the skilling ecosystem to create a resilient and prolific workforce.” said, Smt. Ganga Devi Pradhan, Secretary, Skill Development Department, Government of Sikkim.

During the day-long workshop on PMKVY 3.0, various schemes and programmes, management structures and processes, enhanced infrastructure, and local challenges encountered within these initiatives were discussed. A comprehensive discussion with all eight state teams took place during the session where the state officials provided their valuable inputs, shared their constraints and conveyed their commitment to help youth acquire industry-relevant skills that get them ready for jobs of the future. In addition, there were deliberations around the convergence of PMKVY 3.0 with other schemes such as the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), ITIs, and others as well. Under PMKVY 1.0 and PMKVY 2.0, more than 1.21 crore youth have been oriented successfully through an improved standardized skilling ecosystem in the country. 

Also read: Newsbytes on Skill Development and Vocational Training – 06042021 https://nationalskillsnetwork.in/newsbytes-on-skill-development-and-vocational-training-06042021/

The workshop also included conversations with all DSCs from all the eight states that were present in the workshop virtually. Both SSDMs and DSCs also provided their suggestions for PMKVY 4.0, which were appreciated and noted by the Additional Secretary, MSDE and his team. Following the success of this workshop, more such workshops are scheduled to be held throughout different regions of the country in the coming months. SSDMs and DSCs are essential for running the scheme, and their inputs and understanding of the challenges faced, are crucial for effectively running PMKVY 3.0 and for developing a better PMKVY 4.0 scheme.