The Telangana government is giving shape to a policy on skill development comprising a clutch of initiatives to improve availability of job-ready youth as well as broad-based industrialisation.
Though not among the 14 sectors for which it had promised policies while unveiling the industrial policy, the skill development measure is no less significant given the reservations of investors to set up units beyond Hyderabad for want of skilled manpower.
“Industries have brought to our notice the shortage of trained manpower in other locations [in Telangana],” Commissioner of Industries Jayesh Ranjan said, adding the policy was crucial to creating jobs.
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The policy will deal with incentives, training infrastructure needs and a framework for collaboration with the private sector. It will draw from the Centre’s initiative in this direction, he said, adding he would hold discussions with the National Skill Development Corporation chairman soon. Mr. Ranjan was speaking on the sidelines of a conference on corporate social responsibility organised in the city on Friday by the Confederation of Indian Industry and UNICEF. To queries, he said the proposed policy would lay down specifics on the cost of skilling, the cost sharing formula between various stakeholders; recruitment; and tracking progress of the candidates.
New units coming up under the mega project category (Rs.200 crore plus investment and eligible for fiscal incentives) will be required to bear the entire cost. The approach will, however, be different with regard to recovering the cost from small and medium enterprises.
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On sector specific policies, he said the draft of the textile policy was almost ready, while work on the food processing policy was underway. The first draft of the defence and aerospace policy is ready. The government has unveiled one of the 14 policies – on life sciences – and initiated consultation with sector experts for a few others, Mr. Ranjan said.