The Kollam district panchayat is set to launch Skilltech, an innovative project offering employment to Scheduled Caste candidates who have passed industrial training institute (ITI), polytechnic and engineering courses.
“Eligible persons will be recruited to various government departments or public sector undertakings for two years as part of the project,” said district panchayat president Sam K. Daniel at a press meet here on Wednesday.
Depending on the requirement, selected candidates will be sent to the engineering departments of various local bodies, Kerala Water Authority (KWA), Kerala Electrical and Allied Engineering Co. Ltd (KEL), farms and hospitals in the district and departments, including Soil Conservation and Public Works.
Those who have completed ITI will receive a monthly honorarium of ₹10,000, while the amount will be ₹12,500 and ₹15,000 for polytechnic and engineering graduates respectively.
The panchayat authorities had conducted an interview for selecting beneficiaries on November 28. “From more than 600 candidates who attended the interview, 300 persons will be recruited in the first phase of the project. Each month, the panchayat will have to set aside ₹30 lakh for paying the honorarium and around ₹7.5 crore in total will be spent in two years. Perhaps, the Kollam district panchayat will be the first local body in the country to implement such a project,” said Mr. Daniel.
In order to address the pandemic-triggered job crisis, the panchayat had earlier launched Malakhakoottam, another project offering on-job training with stipend for 100 Scheduled Caste women for two years.
“Considering the current situation, the annual plan of the panchayat focusses on different projects that generate employment. We plan to provide jobs for nearly 1,000 persons in the current financial year,” he said.
Steady income
Apart from the two projects, the local body is implementing a string of other schemes that ensure a steady income, including Grihasree, Swayamprabha, YouthTech, Kamadhenu and Ksheeraswantanam.
“In addition to these, we will be implementing another project offering data entry jobs to women candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes. They will be recruited to government offices in need of typists,” said Mr. Daniel.
Revenue Minister K. Rajan will inaugurate the Skilltech project on December 10 at Jayan Memorial Hall. Mr. Daniel will preside over the function and M. Mukesh, MLA, will hand over the appointment orders. District Collector Afsana Parveen, vice president Sumalal, standing committee heads and panchayat members will attend.
