Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who skipped a meeting of the sub-group of Chief Ministers on skill development in Chhattisgarh on Sunday, recommended inclusion of issues relating to skill development of persons with disabilities in the report.
The sub-group, which is part of the NITI Aayog, met for the second time.
In a letter to Punjab Chief Minister and Chairman of the sub-group, Parkash Singh Badal, the AIADMK leader said she had to skip the meeting “due to pressing commitments in Chennai”.
She read the sub-group’s draft report of the meeting held on April 25 and suggested points to be included in the report.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said the draft report did not mention issues related to skill development of persons with disabilities and recommended their inclusion.
“To ensure persons with disabilities are effectively skilled, it is essential to identify skill training partners who have the requisite expertise and infrastructure to provide the specialised training, she said.
She also suggested that it would be desirable for Central government agencies like the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to confine themselves to national level standardisation, accreditation and certification functions, provision of financing and policy and legislative frameworks.
“Actual training delivery should be routed through and monitored by State government agencies, which are better placed to mobilise candidates for training,” she said.
On the issue of skill development in demographically advantaged states, Ms. Jayalalithaa said interventions at the national level need to cover needs of both sets of states and “not just focus on the so called demographically advantaged states.”
“It is a matter of national priority to address the productivity gaps of the demographically mature states like Tamil Nadu, lest their populations grow old without fully enjoying the fruits of growth and development,” she said.
Pan-India assessment
Ms. Jayalalithaa recommended undertaking a comprehensive pan-India assessment of migration patterns, needs and aspirations, based on which requisite policy interventions for both providers and absorbers of migrant labour can be formulated.”
