Skill development plan in anvil for Maoist-affected areas

NEW DELHI: In a move to counter the chances of youth joining Maoist and Naxalite outfits, the government is working on a special skill enhancement programme in left wing extremist (LWE) affected areas.

National Skill Development Agency director general J P Rai on Tuesday said this is being done to address the economic deprivation faced by large number of people in such areas. He added, "We recognise that Naxal issue can be dealt effectively through economic means by providing necessary skill for youth and making them employable."

He was speaking at a workshop organised by civil society groups, PRIA and Asia South Pacific Association for Basic and Adult Education.

Rai said the government is also creating a national database of labour market information to meet rising demand for skilled workforce from the corporates. These entities can use this for sourcing their manpower requirement. "We are at present collating database from the states on the labour force and will put out comprehensive information shortly," he added.

Moreover, there would be accreditation of manpower agencies who upload the details of skilled manpower so that the industry can access information efficiently.

The NSDA director general also said that they are trying to formulate a programme where recognition of prior learning (RPL) would be certified by government agencies. As per estimate, there are one million people joining workforce every month in the country. In the non-farm sector, 90% of the jobs are in the medium and small scale industries.

"As we have huge mass of entrepreneurs in the informal sector, the government agency must have a system to recognise their skill-sets which would help them get easy credit at cheaper interest rate from financial institutions," Rajesh Tandon, president of PRIA said.