Lok Sabha Question No. 3550 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-08-11
Subject: Skill Development Programme
Ministry: SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT
Asked by: CHINTAMAN NAVSHA WANAGA

**GOVERNMENT OF INDIA**

**MINISTRY OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EMPOWERMENT**

**LOK SABHA**

#### UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3550

#### TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.08.2015

**3550. SKILL  DEVELOPMENT  PROGRAMME**

**ADV. CHINTAMAN  NAVASHA  WANAGA:**

Will the Minister of SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EMPOWERMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Ministry has approached the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Communications and Information Technology for new Skill Development Programme to be implemented in rural as well as urban areas for the SCs/OBC/ Disabled etc; and

(b) if so, the details and status thereof?

**ANSWER**

MINISTER OF STATE FOR Social Justice and Empowerment

**(SHRI VIJAY SAMPLA)**

(a) to (b): Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has two Departments namely (i) Department of Social Justice and Empowerment and (ii) Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) has launched a National Action Plan for skill training of persons with disabilities, in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on 21.03.2015. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by DEPwD with MSDE with the objective of making collaborative efforts towards skilling of the Persons with Disabilities. The brief features of the said National Action Plan are enclosed at Annexure.

In the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment, Skill Development Training Programme is being implemented through the three Corporations viz. National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSCFDC), National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation (NSKFDC), and National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation (NBCFDC). These Corporations have been assigned the responsibility to skill the members of the target groups such as SCs, OBCs, Safai Karamcharis etc. and to conduct the skill development programmes in rural and urban areas across the country to the eligible beneficiaries. In this regard, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the Sector Skill Councils under the MSDE have been approached by NBCFDC for providing Skill Development to the youths of the target groups in various states.

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**ANNEXURE**

**A BRIEF OF THE**

**NATIONAL ACTION PLAN FOR SKILL TRAINING OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES**

The Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has launched the National Action Plan for skill training of persons with disabilities, in collaboration with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on 21 st March 2015. The brief features of the said National Action Plan are given below:

1. **Background**

Improving vocational training and employment opportunities for people with disability is a critical element for enhancing the quality of life for individual with disability, their families, but there are also substantial gains for the broader economy.  There are substantial costs to individuals and to society associated with these poor employment outcomes for people with disability.  In addition to the individual and family benefits, there is also a strong economic imperative to increased labour force participation which will help to address country’s shortage of skilled labour force, while at the same time reducing fiscal pressures associated with welfare dependency.

**B: The National Action Plan for Winning Leaps for Skill Training of PwDs :**

The National Action Plan (NAP) plans to bring all the main stakeholders like various Central Government Ministries, State Governments, NGOs, PSUs and the Private Sector on one platform.  The NAP will have the following main components:

1. A Project Monitoring Unit is being set up in the DEPwD in collaboration with MSDE. A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between DEPwD and MSDE.
2. The vocational / skill training would be provided by a network of skill training providers led by Training Partners both from Govt. and non-Govt. sector including Vocational Rehabilitation Centres run by Ministry of Labour & Employment.  These Training Partners should have  an established track record of providing excellent training in the past with high employability ratio.  They would be provided outcome based financial support by DEPwD and MSDE.
3. A separate Sector Skill Council for PwDs is being created in collaboration with MSDE.
4. For every such training cluster, a number of private sector organizations and PSUs would be mapped, who would provide them CSR funds, and training support and employer connect.
5. DEPwD along with National Skill Development Corporation would help these training providers by connecting them with various private sector organizations and PSUs for providing employment connect as well as for obtaining CSR support.
6. State Governments would support proactively by offering infrastructure and resource support to these clusters of Vocational Training Providers.

**C: Targets**

- The NAP sets a target of skilling 5 lakh PwDs in next 3 years (1 lakh in first year, 1.5 lakh in second year and 2.5 lakh in third year).
- After achieving the target for three years, we would have achieved a momentum and would have created a robust on-line skill training platform enabling us to skill 5 lakh PwDs every year, thus skilling 2 Million more PwDs during 2018-2022. Thus, till the year 2022, the National Action Plan will lead to skilling of 2.5 Million PwDs (with 70% target employment).

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