2-Oct-2022: PM’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors – YUVA 2.0 – Launched
The Ministry of Education, Department of Higher Education, today launched YUVA 2.0 - Prime Minister’s Scheme for Mentoring Young Authors, an Author Mentorship programme to train young and budding authors (below 30 years of age) in order to promote reading, writing and book culture in the country, and project India and Indian writings globally. In view of the significant impact of the first edition of YUVA with large scale participation from young and budding authors in 22 different Indian languages and English, YUVA 2.0 is now being launched.
The launch of YUVA 2.0 (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) is in tune with the Prime Minister’s vision to encourage the youth to understand and appreciate India's democracy. YUVA 2.0 is a part of India@75 Project (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav) to bring to the fore the perspectives of the young generation of writers on the THEME : ‘Democracy (institutions, events, people, constitutional values – past, present, future)’ in an innovative and creative manner. This scheme will thus help to develop a stream of writers who can write on a spectrum of subjects to promote Indian heritage, culture and knowledge system.
NEP 2020 has emphasized on the empowerment of the young minds and creating a learning ecosystem that can make the young readers/learners ready for leadership roles in the future world. India tops the chart in youth population being 66% of the total, waiting to be tapped for capacity building and thereby nation building. With the purpose of mentoring a new generation of young creative writers, there is an imminent requirement to take initiatives at highest level, and in this context, YUVA 2.0 will go a long way in laying the foundation of the future leaders of the creative world.
The National Book Trust, India, under the Ministry of Education as the Implementing Agency will ensure phase-wise execution of the Scheme under well-defined stages of mentorship. The books prepared under this scheme will be published by National Book Trust, India, and will also be translated into other Indian languages ensuring the exchange of culture and literature, thereby promoting 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'. The selected young authors will interact with some of the best authors of the world, participate in literary festivals etc.
The scheme will help to develop a stream of writers who can write on various facets of Democracy in India encompassing the past, present and future. Besides, it will also provide a window to the aspiring youth to articulate themselves and present a comprehensive outlook of Indian Democratic values at domestic as well as international platforms. This scheme has been conceptualized on the premise that the 21st century India needs to groom a generation of young authors to create ambassadors of Indian literature. In view of the fact that our country is ranked third in the arena of book publishing and we have a treasure trove of indigenous literature, India must project it at the global stage.
The Schedule of YUVA 2.0 (Young, Upcoming and Versatile Authors) is as follows:
- Announcement of the Scheme 2 October 2022.
- A total of 75 authors will be selected through an All India Contest to be conducted through https://www.mygov.in/ from 2 October 2022 - 30 November 2022.
- The received proposals would be evaluated from 1 December 2022 – 31 January 2023.
- The winners will be announced on 28 February 2023.
- The young authors will be trained by eminent authors/mentors from 1 March 2023 – 31 August 2023.
- Under the mentorship, the first set of published books will be launched on 2 October 2023.
30-Mar-2022: Salient features of PM-YUVA Scheme
Pradhan Mantri – Mentorships' Scheme for Young writers (PM-YUVA) has been launched by the Ministry of Education on 29 May 2021 for young writers up to the age of 30 years. The salient features of the scheme are as follows:
- A contest was organized to select seventy-five young authors. The theme of the contest was ‘National Movement of India’ with ‘Unsung Heroes’, “Role of Unknown Places in Freedom Movement’ etc as focus areas.
- The contestants were asked to submit a manuscript of 5000 words to judge their suitability to develop as a proper book under the mentorship scheme.
- Proposals were invited in all twenty-two scheduled languages and English
- The selection was made by a committee constituted by National Book Trust (NBT).
- The results were announced on 25.12.2021.
- Mentors have been assigned to guide and develop the selected proposals into full-fledged books.
- A consolidated scholarship of Rs. 50,000 per month for a period of six months per author is to be paid under the mentorship scheme.
- 10% royalty to be paid by NBT on publication and sale of the books.
It has been decided that the books selected under the PM-YUVA Scheme are translated into different Indian languages to ensure the exchange of Indian culture and literature in order to promote `Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat’.
25-Dec-2021: National Book Trust announces of 75 Selected Authors under the PM- YUVA Mentorship Scheme
National Book Trust, India, under Ministry of Education, today announced the results of the All-India Contest organized on the Theme ‘National Movement of India’ under the PM-YUVA Mentorship Scheme as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav programmes. As per the Scheme, 75 Authors were to be selected through this contest for a Scholarship-cum-Mentorship Scheme for the young authors below the age of 30 years.
The All-India Contest was organized from 1st June-31st July 2021 through MyGov and National Book Trust, India platforms. Nearly 16000 entries in 22 Official languages and English were received from all across the country including some from Indian Diaspora Community. All the book proposals were read by multiple panels of experts and went through three layers of scrutiny.
It may be recalled that during his Mann Ki Baat address dated 31st January 2021, the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had stated: “I call upon our young friends to write about our freedom fighters, events associated with them & tales of valour during freedom struggle from their areas.” Thereafter the PM-YUVA Mentorship Scheme for young authors was launched by the Ministry of Education, Government of India with National Book Trust, India as the Implementing Agency.
Out of the 75 selected authors, 38 are males and 37 are females. Further, two are below 15 years, whereas there are 16 authors in the age-group of 15-20 years, 32 fall in the age group of 21-25 years and 25 authors are in the age group of 26-30 years.
The selected authors will undergo six-months of Mentorship in which they would be provided research and editorial support under the guidance of eminent authors and the Editorial Team of National Book Trust, India to develop their book proposals as full-fledged books to be published by the Trust as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav initiatives. Their published books will be later translated into other Indian languages as well.
During mentorship, the selected authors will receive a scholarship of ₹50,000 per month for a period of six months. Further, a royalty of 10% will be payable to the authors on successful publications of their books.
3-Dec-2021: Promotion of Women Entrepreneurship
Pradhan Mantri YUVA (PM YUVA) Yojana implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has been a pilot scheme for creating an enabling ecosystem through entrepreneurship education, training, advocacy and easy access to entrepreneurship network. The State of West Bengal has been covered under the scheme.
The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) is implementing the following schemes for promoting entrepreneurship among Women:
- ‘Skill Upgradation & Mahila Coir Yojana’ under Coir Vikas Yojana, which is as an exclusive training programme aimed at skill development of women artisans engaged in the coir industry. Two months training in coir spinning is imparted through this programme. The candidates who undergo this training are given a stipend of Rs. 3000/- per month. The trained artisans under the scheme are encouraged to avail assistance through Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) scheme to set up coir units.
- Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), which is a major credit-linked subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and rural/ urban unemployed youth. For beneficiaries belonging to special categories such as Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe/ OBC / minorities/ women, ex-serviceman, physically handicapped, North Eastern Region (NER), Hill and Border areas, etc., higher subsidy is given.
- Under the Public Procurement Policy, all Central Ministries/ Departments/ Public Sector Undertakings are mandated to procure at least 3% of their annual procurement from women owned micro & small enterprises.
- The Government also implements several other schemes for promotion and development of MSMEs, including women owned MSMEs, namely, Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP), Tool Rooms & Technology Centres, Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI), A Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industry and Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE), Procurement and marketing Support Scheme, Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme (ESDP), Credit Linked Capital Subsidy and Technology Upgradation Scheme (CLCS-TUS) etc. Increased incentives/subsidy is provided to women entrepreneurs participating in Trade Fairs.
In addition, to encourage women entrepreneurship in the country, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Germany has launched a pilot project, ‘Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Startups by Women’ to support aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs. The project pilots incubation and acceleration programmes for women micro entrepreneurs to start new businesses and scale up existing enterprises in Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra., Uttar Pradesh and North Eastern Region.
Apart from above, in order to enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a network of Women Industrial Training Institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. To ensure economic independence of women through skill development and vocational training, the Government has also introduced Skill India Mission. The National Skill Development Policy focuses on inclusive skill development, with the objective of increased women participation for better economic productivity. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Kendras lay emphasis on creating additional infrastructure, both for training and apprenticeship, for women; flexible training delivery mechanisms, flexible afternoon batches on local need-based training to accommodate women; and ensuring safe and gender sensitive training environment, employment of women trainers, equity in remuneration, and complaint redressal mechanism. Moreover, there are schemes like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Stand Up India, majority of beneficiaries of which are women.
20-Mar-2020: Development of Entrepreneurship in the Country
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing a pilot scheme, Pradhan Mantri Yuva Udyaimta Vikas Abhiyaan (PM YUVA) towards creating an enabling ecosystem through entrepreneurship education, training, advocacy and easy access to entrepreneurship network. The scheme focuses on students/trainees and alumni coming out from skilling ecosystem {i.e. Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Polytechnics, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) and Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS)}. The scheme covers 10 States and 2 Union Territories {viz. i.e. Uttar Pradesh (6 districts), Uttarakhand (4 districts), Bihar (10 districts), West Bengal (12 districts), Assam (11 districts), Meghalaya (2 districts), Maharashtra (5 districts), Tamil Nadu (17 districts), Telangana (8 districts), Kerala (4 districts), Delhi (1 district) and Puducherry (1 district)}. The scheme envisages creation of 600 new and 1000 scale-up enterprises.
Further, with an aim to promote a culture of entrepreneurship among India’s youth and inspire them to set-up their own enterprises and create employment opportunities for others, a National Entrepreneurship Awards Scheme (NEAS) has been instituted in 2016. Under the scheme, awards are conferred to aspiring first generation entrepreneurs including women and those individuals/ organizations who are working as eco-system builder in the field of entrepreneurship development. The awards also seek to highlight model of excellence for others to emulate and improve upon.
Besides, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in collaboration with the Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (Germany) has launched a pilot project called ‘Economic Empowerment of Women Entrepreneurs and Start-ups by Women’ to support aspiring and existing women entrepreneurs in India. Presently, this pilot project is being implemented in the North Eastern Region (Assam, Meghalaya and Manipur), Rajasthan and Telangana where 147 women have been given incubation and acceleration support as part of its first cohorts.
In addition, the Government is providing financial assistance in form of loan to entrepreneurs under various schemes viz Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency or MUDRA and Stand Up India Scheme implemented by Department of Financial Services (Ministry of Finance), Start-up Village Entrepreneurship Programme implemented through Ministry of Rural Development and Rashtriya Mahila Kosh(exclusively for women) implemented through Ministry of Women and Child Development.
23-Feb-2017: 15 lakh youth to get online and experiential learning on Entrepreneurship Education.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (SDE) and Wadhwani Operating Foundation (WOF) signed here today two Agreements for effectuating an earlier understanding of jointly developing and implementing Entrepreneurship and Skill Development initiatives in the country with the Pradhan Mantri YUVA Scheme being the first joint effort in this regard.
Pradhan Mantri YUVA Scheme launched by the Ministry during November, 2016 aims at providing on line Entrepreneurship Education to about 15 lakh students across the country through 3050 Project Institutes consisting of Institutions of Higher Learning; Schools; ITIs and Entrepreneurship Development Centres, both Government and Private. The on-line Entrepreneurship Modules will be duly supplemented by the class room based experiential learning activities and practicums which will be facilitated by specially trained Faculty of the educational institutions. The Ministry would also provide financial assistance to these institutions for different activities under the Scheme. The total scheme outlay is Rs.450 crores.
The five-year Scheme is expected to witness setting up of more than 23,000 enterprises thus resulting into creation of more than 2.30 lakh direct and indirect jobs in the country. The Scheme also envisages delivery of specially developed Social Entrepreneurship Modules to interested students in Institutions of Higher Learning. The WOF, in capacity of Knowledge Partner is contributing, free of cost, Software, Content and Intangibles such as faculty and field staff training and program consulting services under the Scheme.
20-Aug-2022: Grameen Udyami Project launched in Ranchi to promote skill development and Entrepreneurship amongst the tribal youth, gives boost to Skill India Mission
To augment skill training in tribal communities for their inclusive and sustainable growth, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in partnership with Seva Bharti and Yuva Vikas Society, today launched the second phase of Grameen Udyami Project, today. Under the initiative, the endeavour is to multiskill India’s youth and impart functional skills to them for enabling livelihoods. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has emphasised on the involvement of tribal communities in the workforce, ensuring their holistic development to make them self-reliant and contained within their respective geographies.
Shri Arjun Munda, Union Minister of Tribal affairs launched the programme, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State (MoS) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship; and Electronics & IT, virtually addressed the august gathering and Shri Bishweswar Tudu, MoS, Tribal Affairs and Jal Shakti inspired the audience with his encouraging words.
The event witnessed the presence of key dignitaries, Shri V. Satish, Mahamantri, Rashtriya Seh Sangathan, Shri Samir Oraon, Rashtriya adyaksh, Ansuchit Janjati Morcha evam Rajya Sabha Sansad and Shri Shivshankar Oraon, MLA, Gumla, Jharkhand.
Grameen Udyami is a unique multiskilling project, funded by NSDC that aims to train 450 tribal students in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. The project is being implemented in six states— Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Gujarat. This concept was crystallized by MoS, Shri. Rajeev Chandrasekhar and tribal MPs.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Arjun Munda stated that our complete focus is on strengthening sustainable livelihood for tribal populations and with this, the central government has sanctioned a budget of 85,000 cr. exclusively for tribal areas. There is also a dire need of increasing ownership so that there is awareness built around such schemes and initiatives. There is so much potential and ability in the tribal youth that all we need to do is lay down the right avenues for them to use their talent in the right places. He expressed that Grameen Udyami project will prove to be game changer for the tribal communities of Jharkhand and will extend the right opportunities to them to stand on their own feet. He urged gram panchayats, villages, and blocks to bring these initiatives to youth for their progress.
Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that we recently celebrated Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to honour India’s rich past and committed ourselves to Amrit Kaal, a vision for New India for the twenty five years. This New India will bring new opportunities and better prospects for India’s youth. We all witnessed the challenges posed by COVID-19 but also experienced India’s win over this grave situation and our efforts got recognised, globally. Our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has emphasised that the route to Atmanirbhar Bharat will be through Atmanirbhar villages, Atmanirbhar towns and Atmanirbhar districts. Therefore, our tribal communities take precedence in our efforts to propel India’s economic growth, he added. He hoped that the success that Grameen Udyami project has achieved in Madhya Pradesh, it will receive the same response in Jharkhand since skilling is the passport to prosperity of any region.
Shri Bishweswar Tudu expressed that a nation can develop if cities develop and cities will develop, if we invest in the development of villages. And a key component of this is to provide quality education to our tribal communities so that several prospects open-up for their growth. Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has also focused on the inclusivity, financial growth of our tribal areas and certainly, Grameen Udyami project will provide economic empowerment to our tribal population. Umpteen number of schemes and pilot projects have also been initiated for accelerating the economic engine of India, he added.
In the first phase of training, candidates were mobilized from rural and tribal areas of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat. Since candidates were mobilized from the rural areas, transportation, boarding & lodging was provided to candidates so that they do not miss out the learning opportunity due to lack of resources. In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, training of 157 candidates started in seven batches in the month of May,2022 and approximately 133 candidates completed the training successfully on June 27th, 2022. The phase-II of the pilot project launched in Ranchi today is being implemented by Yuva Vikas Society, through Seva Bharti Kendra in Ranchi. NSDC under the aegis of MSDE has supported in setting up of labs and classrooms through Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) in Seva Bharti Kendra Skill Development Center.
The training under the project will be conducted in the following Job roles which are relevant to the local economy.
- Electrician & Solar PV Installation Technician
- Plumbing & Masonry
- 2-Wheeler Repair & Maintenance
- IT/ITES with e-Governance
- Farm Mechanization
Grameen Udyami Yojana is implemented under Sansadiya Parisankul Yojana. A two-day conference of Honorable MPs was held in Mumbai to discuss the upliftment of tribal communities in January 2020 in which various experts and government organizations shared their experiences. Further, Scheduled Tribe organizations called for a 'Parliamentary ST Cluster Development Project' which has been initiated. Under which, 49 clusters in 15 states of India have been selected by 40 tribal MPs of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Under their leadership, the scheme in respective clusters will be implemented. One development associate is appointed by the MPs in each cluster.
Following objectives must be achieved under the project:
- Increase in Rural/Local Economy
- Enhance employment opportunities
- Reduce forced migration due to lack of local opportunities
- Conservation of natural resources
Due to lack of skill and education, organized sectors have very poor contribution in tribal livelihood as compared to the national average. Therefore, initiatives like Grameen Udyami project are critical for their betterment and to ensure their livelihood generation.
30-Jun-2022: Government trains first batch of village engineers ; model to be replicated to other districts
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atmanirbhar Bharat Sankalp starts with the empowerment of rural youth. The road to Atmanirbhar Bharat travels through Atmanirbhar Villages. Creating new opportunities of employment/self-employment and entrepreneurship locally, is an article of faith for the Narendra Modi Govt, said Minister of State, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar at a ceremony for distribution of certificates to the first batch of trainees under Pilot Project for Skilling Tribal Youth - Rural Tribal Technical Training or Grameen Udyami at Raj Bhawan, Bhopal.
Around 140 Tribal youth turned village engineers were conferred Skill Certificates today at a ceremony that was presided over by the Governor of Madhya Pradesh Shri Mangubhai Patel. Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar joined virtually and congratulated the trainees on successfully completing the skill training and for attaining skills which he termed as “Passport to Prosperity”.
Expressing his satisfaction on the pilot project, the Minister affirmed that the pilot programme offers us a launch pad for replicating its success to other districts across the Nation. It shall empower the tribal youth by making opportunities available - locally thereby reducing the pull and push for migration. It shall trigger economic activities at local level in the Districts which is consistent with the new economic outlook of the Government which lays emphasis on Self Reliance or Aatmanirbharta, he added.
Training was provided to the beneficiaries in 5 disciplines- electrical and solar energy, agricultural mechanization, e-governance, plumbing and masonry, two wheeler repair and maintenance. This training will also enable the youth to start their own business, thus generating more employment opportunities for other youth as well. The concept of Multi Skilling and turning unemployed youth into village engineers is first of its kind and shall be replicated in other districts.
The Minister highlighted the importance of skilling in post covid times. He said that the Covid pandemic has led to disruptions in traditional supply chains offering huge opportunities to India & Indians. The world is now looking for a trusted partner. As the world now looks towards India, we need to skill our youth to emerge as Global Skills Hub. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has directed us to work out a New approach towards Skilling to build on the gains of Skill India 1.0 & to capitalise on the new economic opportunities offered to India in the emerging New World Order post Covid.
The pilot project, under the Sansadiya Sankul Pariyojana , was launched on 13th May 2022 for training about 250 beneficiaries of 17 clusters of 17 districts selected from 6 states of India – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Odisha. It was launched in the presence of CM Madhya Pradesh Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Shri BL Santosh amongst other Dignitaries.
Government is giving priority to skilling as an important aspect to provide more opportunities to rural youth and to strengthen local village economies. A part of this push is creating district skilling plans for each of the 700 districts. The Central Government has appointed a Mahatma Gandhi National Fellow for each district, who will work with the local district collector as the district’s public representative in shaping skills according to local requirements. This will be divided into farm economy and non-farm economy. what type of skills are required there, what type of opportunities exist there, and for skills outside the local community in the state and within the country.
13-May-2022: Pilot project for Skilling tribal youth launched today from Bhopal, MP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atmanirbhar Bharat Sankalp starts with the empowerment of rural youth. The road to Atmanirbhar Bharat travels through Atmanirbhar Villages. Today's launch of the Rural Tribal Technical Training Program is a small step in this direction, said Minister of State, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Electronics and IT, Rajeev Chandrasekhar at the launch of Pilot Project for Skilling Tribal Youth - Rural Tribal Technical Training at the Centre for Research and Industrial Staff Performance CRISP, Bhopal.
The pilot project envisages training for about 250 beneficiaries of 17 clusters of 17 districts selected from 6 states of India – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Odisha and will be organized at Vikas Bharti, Gumla, Jharkhand.
Training will be provided to the beneficiaries in 5 disciplines- electrical and solar energy, agricultural mechanization, e-governance, plumbing and masonry, two wheeler repair and maintenance. This training will also enable the youth to start their own business, thus generating more employment opportunities for other youth as well.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, the Minister highlighted the importance of Skilling in Post Covid - New World Order. The Covid pandemic has led to disruptions in traditional supply chains of electronics & digital products. The world is now looking for a trusted partner. As the world now looks towards India, we need to skill our youth to emerge as Global Skills Hub, he added.
Launching the Rural Tribal Technical Training Program (Grameen Udhyami Project) of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, he said that the government is giving priority to skilling as an important aspect to provide more opportunities to rural youth and to strengthen local village economies.
The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has already build up an extensive network of ITIs, JSSs, PMKKs, PMKVY, apprenticeships and is transforming lives of youth through more than 4500 skilling programs being offered by it, the Minister said.
Extensive training with multiple skills will be extended to 50,000 to one lakh students in 50 tribal districts in the coming years, the Minister added.
4-Aug-2022: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has NIPUN , as part of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission
The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Kaushal Kishore in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today informed that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has launched on June 20, 2022 an innovative project – NIPUN (National Initiative for Promotion of Upskilling of Nirman workers), as part of Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
NIPUN, inter-alia, includes on-site Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) of construction workers, and fresh skill training in job oriented courses in the construction and related sectors.
This project aims to skill train over one lakh construction workers in the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) aligned courses, through a network of industry partners in construction sector and the related Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) i.e. Construction Skill Development Council of India (CSDCI), Water Management & Plumbing Skill Council (WMPSC) and Infrastructure and Equipment Sector skill Council (IESC).
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has been engaged as the implementation agency.
Under RPL, certified candidates are extended benefits of the ‘Kaushal Bima’ i.e. three-years accidental insurance with coverage of ₹ 2 lakh. Further, training partners facilitate registration of eligible trainees under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Building and other Construction Workers (BoCW).
The project, which is of 1 year duration, is estimated to cost ₹ 93 crore. The project is being implemented on Pan-India basis at construction sites, identified in collaboration with Training Partners.
20-Jun-2022: Shri Hardeep S. Puri launches National Initiative for Promotion of Upskilling of Nirman workers (NIPUN)
Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs and Petroleum & Natural Gas, Government of India, today launched an innovative project for skill training of construction workers called ‘NIPUN’ i.e. National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman workers. The project NIPUN is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under its flagship scheme of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to train over 1 lakh construction workers, through fresh skilling and upskilling programmes and provides them with work opportunities in foreign countries also. Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs Shri Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Skill development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Shri Sunil Barthwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Sanjay Kumar were among those present on the occasion.
Shri Hardeep S Puri also interacted with some construction workers on the occasion, and presented them with safety helmets.
While addressing, Shri Hardeep S Puri said that the transformational impact of the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) has definitively reduced the vulnerability of urban poor households by providing upskilling and employment opportunities to urban dwellers, especially the youth. He further said that the spirit of entrepreneurship has been encouraged and supported by giving urban workers access to self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities. This initiative will enable Nirman workers to be more proficient and skilled while making them adopt future trends in the construction industry by increasing their capabilities and diversifying their skill sets, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Puri said that he has been emphasizing on boosting the skill sets in the construction industry to be adopted on war footing but so far we have not been able to achieve what should have been done. The construction industry has been investing in skilling but it has not spread horizontally across the industry. Therefore, the initiative taken by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in this regard is really praiseworthy and should expand to cover larger number. The Minister said that skill and productivity goes hand-in-hand and the Hon’ble Prime Minister saw it in the beginning itself. The Ministry also undertook technology challenges which led to implementation of six Light House Projects in a record time wherein technology and local material was used to construct sustainable green buildings.
The Minister said that dedication to the nation of the main tunnel and five underpasses of Pragati Maidan Integrated Transit Corridor Project in New Delhi yesterday by the Prime Minister underlines the new template of the Central Government showing that world class project can be competed in a record time. The Minister also announced that the Central Vista Avenue will be opened in next few days. Shri Puri said that the construction industry is a significant contributor to the nation’s GDP and we are proud of world class construction being undertaken in the country. He said that the NIPUN Project will enable the construction workers to seek better job opportunities, increase their wages and even pursue overseas placements - an indication of a new eco-system. He called upon the private sector to be more socially responsible.
The Minister said that before 2014, the urban space was under neglect. The Prime Minister saw it as an opportunity and this has led to transformation of the urbanization. Between 2004-2014, about 1.57 lakh crores of rupees was spent on projects of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs which has gone up by about 8 times in the last 8 years. The Minister said that the Central Vista will be there for the next 250 years. He said that through suitable skilling initiatives such as NIPUN, we are creating a future labour force for the construction industry which will propel innovation and large-scale development in the country.
DAY-NULM is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, being implemented since 2014-15, with the aim to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households in the country by enabling them to access self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in an appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the nodal agency under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, will be the Implementation Partner for the project NIPUN.
The project implementation is divided into three parts - training through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) at construction sites, training through Fresh Skilling by Plumbing and Infrastructure SSC and International Placement through industries/ builders/ contractors. Onsite skill training will be provided to approximately 80,000 construction workers through industry associations under the RPL certification, co-branded with MoHUA, while about 14,000 candidates will receive fresh skilling through plumbing and infrastructure Sector Skill Council (SSC) in trades having promising placement potentials. The courses are aligned with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and will be imparted at accredited and affiliated training centres. Under NIPUN, it is also envisaged that NSDC will place approximately 12,000 people in foreign countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE and other GCC countries.
Project NIPUN will also facilitate and support convergence with related line ministries. Meanwhile, NSDC will be responsible for the overall execution of training, monitoring and candidate tracking. It will provide trainees with ‘Kaushal Bima’, a three-year accidental insurance with coverage of INR 2 lakhs, digital skills such as cashless transactions and the BHIM app, orientation about entrepreneurship, and EPF and BOCW facilities. A project committee with members from both NSDC and MoHUA will be formed under the chairmanship of the Additional Secretary-cum-Mission Director, DAY-NULM to oversee and monitor the project.
The construction industry is poised to become the largest employer by 2022 and needs 45 million additional skilled workers over the next 10 years. To fulfil this mission, the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) and the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) have joined Project NIPUN as industry partners and will identify training job roles of aspirational value in the construction sector in collaboration with the SSC.