NITI Aayog Member V.K. Saraswat on Wednesday said a nation-wide programme was needed to impart skill training / upgradation to youth with the specific objective of helping them access job opportunities in India and abroad.
On Wednesday, he held a review meeting at the Secretariat attended by senior officials including Chief Secretary Rajeev Sharma, NITI Aayog Advisors Sunitha Sanghi, A.K. Jain, Advisors to Government of Telangana, Papa Rao, G.R. Reddy and A.K. Goyal, Telangana Government Special Chief Secretary M.G. Gopal and was appraised of the skill development programmes taken up by different departments of the Government.
Mr. Saraswat said that the meeting at the State-level was in tune with the directive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Head of the National Skill Development Mission at a recent meeting held in New Delhi.
Pointing out that a major chunk of the population in the productive age group had not been given any training in the past three decades; he said that Government had targeted to enhance skill sets of youth of employable age so that they could find gainful employment for the next three decades.
He said that Industrial Training Institutes across Telangana needed to be revamped and provided with skilled trainers, apart from increasing facilities.
He opined that every person undergoing training required to be helped with soft skills too.
Those finding employment in agriculture, construction and other sectors needed to be treated with respect that the profession demanded, he said.
Some of the sectors that needed attention to harness their potential in employment generation include health, electronic manufacturing skills.
Through the Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge, it was said that incubation-cum-entrepreneurship centres could be set up and made to partner with the T-Hub, the software incubation centre, it was felt.
Mr. Rajeev Sharma said that through different departments employment opportunities for the youth were being provided after imparting skill development programmes.
They required coordination, he felt, adding that in tune with the suggestions and ideas generated at Wednesday’s meeting, programmes could be tailored to perfection.
For this, the State required financial support from the Centre, he summed up.
