Guided by Hon’ble Prime Minister’s Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan (GKRA), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has begun skill training of 3 Lakh migrant workers from the identified 116 districts across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. The initiative aims to empower migrant workers and rural population in the post-COVID era through demand-driven skilling and orientation under Centrally Sponsored and Centrally Managed (CSCM) component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 2016-2020. In collaboration with the concerned District Collectors/District Magistrates/ Deputy Commissioners, MSDE is rolling out the programme across these districts for skill training within 125 days. The training has already started in certain parts of the identified districts and will gradually expand to other parts in the course of the month.  

National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the aegis of MSDE is executing the training programme through existing Training Providers and Project Implementing Agencies operating under PMKVY 2016-20 or state schemes. 1.5 lakh migrant workers are being trained under Short Term Training (STT) programme, and another 1.5 lakh migrant workers are slated to be certified under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme. Demand aggregation for local jobs in these districts as well as the mobilization of returnee migrants for the purpose of training is being done by the district administrations. The Skill Ministry is directing its efforts to organize skill training for various job roles as per local industry demand, as recommended by the district administrations.  

Stressing upon the need to promote skilling and entrepreneurship for rural development, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said, “Rural development through skill empowerment is a fundamental element of Skill India mission as 70% of the total workforce comes from rural India. The vision of making rural workforce attuned with the changing needs of the industry requires seamless synergies between various partners in the skilling ecosystem. We need to realign ourselves and complement each other on the pressing need for creation of industry-relevant jobs at regional levels to offset the aftereffects of workforce migration. We are committed to focus on local demand-driven skill development programmes to create better and sustainable livelihood opportunities for the migrant skilled workers whose collective strength forms the backbone of our economy.”

The skill training and orientation programme across these identified districts has begun post accreditation and affiliation of Training Providers on Skill India Portal and subsequent approval of system-based targets. Job roles that are in demand across these 6 states include Assistant Electrician, Self Employed Tailor, Retail Sales Associate, Customer Care Executive (Call Centre), Sewing Machine Operator and General Duty Assistant amongst others. As GKRA is a part of Short-Term Training (STT), all benefits to eligible candidates as per the STT-CSCM-PMKVY 2016-20 are applicable. Eligible candidates are receiving Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for conveyance support, boarding and lodging, post placement support, assistive aid, and other support as per the guidelines.  

The objective of Short-Term Training (STT) under Skill India’s flagship PMKVY scheme is to provide skill training to either school/college dropouts or unemployed youth for various sectors and job roles. Duration of the training programme varies as per job roles, ranging between 150 and 300 hours. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programme recognizes the value of learning acquired outside a formal setting and provides a government certificate for an individual’s skills. Candidates receive exposure to concepts of digital and financial literacy and an accidental insurance coverage for three years free of cost. No fee is charged from a candidate for participating in the RPL programme and every successfully certified candidate receives INR 500. The Skill Ministry has trained more than 92 lakh candidates so far under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 2016-2020.