Vocational Training in Tribal Areas
Category: Skills & Employment, Social welfare & Empowerment
Level: Central | State: All
Ministry: Ministry Of Tribal Affairs

Details:
Scheduled Tribes are the most marginalized section of the society, therefore to assist their socio-economic development; there is an imperative need to provide more employment avenues and income generation opportunities. It is aimed at upgrading the skills of the tribal youths in various traditional/modern vocations depending upon their educational qualification, present economic trends and the market potential, which would enable them to gain suitable employment or enable them to become self-employed.
          The scheme will be implemented for the benefit of the Scheduled Tribes as well as PTGs and can be taken up anywhere in the country but priority will be given to remote tribal areas, areas inhabited by particularly vulnerable tribes and areas affected by extremist activities. 
> **Components of the Scheme:**


  - The organization running VTC will admit the ST youth irrespective of the region/State to which they belong.
  - It will be imperative on the part of the concerned organization (i.e. States/UTs/NGOs/other organizations) to assess the employment potential in a particular area in advance depending on the educational qualification of the target population, type of industries available in that region/State, present economic trend and market potential, etc. before proposing the trades.
  - The organizations will establish linkages with recognized institutions which can provide a Certificate/Diploma to the candidates for the trades in which they have been trained.
  - The institutions/organizations (State/UT run institutions as well as NGOs) who are already running projects with assistance from this Ministry, and also the new applicant institutions/organizations should get/have recognition/affiliation/accreditation under “Modular Employable Skills (MES)” from Regional Directorate of Apprenticeship Training of the State/UT Governments or recognition/affiliation under “Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS)” from National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT) under Directorate General of Employment &amp; Training (Ministry of Labour &amp; Employment, Government of India), as applicable.
  - The organization should establish linkages with placement services, and for the candidates interested in self-employment after availing the training, the organization shall arrange easy microfinance/loans for them through financial institutions, National Scheduled Tribe Finance Development Corporation (NSTFDC), banks, etc. Preference will be given to those institutions which guarantee placement/employment after completion of training.
  - As far as possible, a minimum of 33% of seats will be reserved for tribal girl candidates.
  - 100% grant-in-aid will be provided to the States/UTs/State-owned institutions/VOs/NGOs/other private organizations, eligible for assistance of the Scheme.
  - The grant-in-aid will be released to the State/UT Governments/State-owned institutions in one instalment in a year, and to the NGOs/private institutions in two instalments as per General Financial Rules.

Benefits:
Under the scheme, grants will be available for organizing vocational training in recognized institutes or in Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) subject to terms and conditions revised from time to time of the scheme.
The training for trades including modern trades having employment potential in the tribal region will be provided.
Under this scheme, the fund will be provided in two ways: (i) By setting up and running VTCs mainly in remote areas/rural areas deficient in facilities, (ii) By supporting vocational training for ST as also PTG candidates in already existing institutions in townships/districts, etc. like ITIs, Polytechnics, computer training centers, and other private recognized institutions.
Each tribal boy/girl will be trained in one trade of his/her choice and given practical experience as per the syllabus prescribed by the institute. 
After completion of the training, a certificate/diploma will be provided by the institute to the successful trainees.
Admissible Financial Norms:
 The non-recurring and recurring grant-in-aid will be admissible in accordance with financial norms given as under:
Recurring:-
(a) ₹30,000/- per annum per trainee includes:-
 Stipend to trainee @ ₹700/- per month.
 ₹1600/- per trainee per annum for procurement of tools, raw materials, etc.
 Monthly honorarium to faculty/supporting staff etc.
 Boarding/lodging of trainees, electricity and water charges, etc.
(b) In the case of a rented building, annual rent will be admissible in addition to (a) above as per actuals, and the maximum limit will be ₹10,000/- per month. This will be subject to submission of the Rent Assessment Certificate by the Public Works Department of the State Government. If the building is owned by the institution/organization, only 10% of the rental value (authenticated by State PWD), as admissible, will be provided as maintenance charges per annum.
Non-recurring:-
(a) ₹2.40 lakh for five trades once in five years @ ₹0.48 lakh per trade.

Eligibility Criteria:
**The agencies eligible for such grants are:**

   1. State Governments and UT Administrations;
   1. Institutions or Organisations set up by the Government as autonomous bodies, either under a statute or as a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, of 1860;
   1. Educational and other institutions of the likes of local bodies and cooperative bodies.
   1. A Public Trust registered under any law for the time being in force. The trust must have been registered for at least three years.
   1. Any Private Recognized Institution, registered and conducting such vocational courses for at least three years.
   1. Any industry or an association of industries like ASSOCHAM, CII, FICCI, etc. who are willing to run such skill upgradation training centers as per the financial norms of the scheme with a proper plan for placements.
   1. Voluntary Organizations (VO)/Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) which fulfill the following requirements:


  - Any registered voluntary organization/non-governmental organization engaged in the conduct and promotion of social welfare of STs. The organization should have been registered for at least three years.
  - Experience of at least three years in the relevant field.
  - Aptitude and experience in welfare work pertaining to weaker sections.
  - Preference will be given to programmes that benefit the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PTGs) or remote/interior/backward areas not serviced by Government Institutions or other established NGOs.
  - Financial viability of the organization and ability to continue the work for limited periods in the absence of assistance from the Ministry.
  - Good reputation and credentials.
  - Capability to mobilize the community.
  - Networking with other institutions for optimum utilization of resources allocated and assets created.