Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (October 19) launched 511 Pramod Mahajan Grameen Kaushalya Vikas Kendras in Maharashtra through video conferencing. These skill development centres, named after the late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pramod Mahajan, are being established across 34 rural districts of Maharashtra.
As per a release from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), these centres will conduct skill development training programs across various sectors to provide employment opportunities to rural youth.
"Each Kendra will train about 100 youngsters in at least two vocational courses. The training is being provided by empanelled industry partners and agencies under the National Skill Development Council," the PMO said.
The establishment of these centres will help the region attain significant strides towards developing more competent and skilled manpower, the PMO added.
PM address via video conferencing:
PM Modi said the state governments need to expand the scope of skill development programmes for the youth so that they will help the country become self-reliant.
Speaking after inaugurating 511 Pramod Mahajan Gramin Kaushalya Vikas Kendras in Maharashtra through video link, he said the state governments should focus on designing skill development programmes in such a way that they will help the country grow.
The Gramin Kaushalya Vikas Kendras (rural skill development centres), named for late Pramod Mahajan, a prominent Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Union minister, are being established across 34 rural districts of Maharashtra, as per an official statement.
"How to manufacture zero-defect products in the service sector, knowledge economy using modern techniques, which product manufacturing will help India to become self-reliant- we have to focus on such skills," Modi said.
The prime minister also stressed the need to develop online modules for soft skills. He said earlier governments had no vision or seriousness about skill development among the youth. "This cost the youth dearly despite there being demand from the industrial sector and talent in the youth," he said.
During his tenure, when a separate skill development ministry was created, 1.30 crore youth have benefitted from skill development programmes, he said.
"Tribal, poor, Dalit, backward class youths were the true beneficiaries," he added. The agriculture sector also requires new skills for natural farming, processing, value addition, packaging and branding of farm produce, Modi said.
Maharashtra minister on skill centres in state:
"So far there was no skill development centre in 28 thousand gram panchayats of Maharashtra. Skill development is a very important subject of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Accordingly, according to the concept of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, we decided to start skill development centre in 500 (odd) gram panchayats," Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Skills, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Maharashtra said on Tuesday.
Minister Lodha said these skill development centres will help to prevent youth from migrating from villages to cities for employment, adding number of such centres will be increased in the future.
(With agencies inputs)
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