<div><em>Modi's emphasis on skill development and perhaps the success of skill development will dictate the success of every other programme, writes <strong>Manish Kumar Pathak</strong></em><br><br>When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of the country, there was this general perception that things will change, and transform for the better. There have been different flagship initiatives aimed at churning out changes, which include the Jan Dhan Yojana, the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, the Digital India campaign among others. However, the special importance has been given to skill development and perhaps the success of skill development will dictate the success of every other programme.</div><div> </div><div>We are a young country, seeking employment opportunities and employability of this young demography forms a vital cog in the development of the country both economically and socially. Here in again skill development assumes paramount importance. The relation between skills and jobs is quite easy to figure out. Hence this new programme ‘Skill India’, which will be a multi-skill programme, is one the dream projects of the Prime Minister and will be launched in March 2015. This is a very promising step.</div><div> </div><div>The primary objective will be to create opportunities, to carve out space and identify the numerous scopes for development. Presently there are sectors which have employed youth, and the aim will be to monitor these sectors, and recognize their importance, and also extend the domain to other sectors. This ambitious plan aspires at providing training and skill development to 500 million youth by 2020, and covering each and every village.<br> </div><div>This particular aspect is very important considering that globalisation has lead to increasing international standardization of educational challenges and systems, and now increasing emphasis is being given to proficiency development. In all probability skill development will be the catalyst for the growth of India. </div><div> </div><div>For the programme to achieve any significant progress, the education and employment will have to be closely linked with skill development. For this there will have to a concerted and cohesive involvement of different private players, the NGOs active in this sector, and the grassroots workers who have the first hand knowledge of the system. There is only so much a Government can do.</div><div> </div><div>This year’s Union Budget presented a road map for initiation of the National Skills Mission, which is an extension to the ‘Skill India’ and ‘Make in India’ programmes. However, there will have to be proper executions if these proposals are to achieve the stipulated target, and the problems that surround are quite complicated. A vast number of workforce in the country is untrained, and the training that is available has become archaic and is nowhere close to the industry requirements.</div><div> </div><div>This major hurdle has little to do with policies, and more to do with execution, and lack of co-ordination between departments and ministries. This initiative is nothing new, and there have been similar schemes earlier. However, what separates the earlier one with this current programme is that all kinds of jobs will be given equal emphasis, unlike previously where only traditional jobs was under the umbrella. In order to have better accountability and proper synchronisation, the different ministries will be clubbed together, with the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship being the principal ministry and will in turn coordinate with other ministries and organisations.</div><div> </div><div>There is little doubt that the domestic skill development policy in the country needs to be urgently overhauled, and the institutional structure needs simplification. Also the infrastructure in place for training should be made open for private sector participation.</div><div> </div><div>The Indian youth have the right to compete globally, and there should be a mechanism in place where confidence is improved, productivity increases and accountability is augmented. All this is possible if development of skills is given proper direction right form childhood. Also, every aspirant for any job should be particularly trained for it. Amidst all these, the rural areas should not be neglected, and this is where the role of NGOs, activists and other players become important.|</div><div> </div><div>Going by the prediction made by the World Bank, the working population of India will grow exponentially in the coming years, and the massive role skill development will play can only be imagined. The proposals are ready, the plan is ripe, and if there is the zeal to go that extra mile in actually implementing the idea, we will be a force to reckon with. Perhaps, the success of ‘Skill India’ will determine the success of Brand Modi.</div><div> </div>
