PM Narendra Modi announced Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 8 January 2017 announced that the government is planning to launch Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana to train Indian youth for overseas employment.

The announcement was made at the inauguration of the 14th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas Convention in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

About Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana

• The programme seeks to train and certify Indians who are seeking overseas employment.

• The skill training will be given in those sectors that have high demand in the global labour market. The training will be of international standards.

• The programme will be implemented by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in consultation with Union Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Skill Development Ministry.

• For the effective implementation of the programme, the NSDC will leverage various MoUs it signed with agencies of the UK, Germany, Australia, the USA, Canada, Singapore, European Union, France, Iran and China between 2011 and 2015.

The launch of the Pravasi Kaushal Vikas Yojana is in tune with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India the Skill Capital of the World. Some of the other skill development initiatives announced by the Union Government in recent times are -

• The Union Budget 2016-17 identified Education, Skill Development and Employment as one of the nine pillars to transform the Indian economy.

• The objective is to provide quality education, better skills and employment opportunities.

• In March 2015, the Union Cabinet approved Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana to impart skill training to youth at an estimated cost of 1500 crore rupees.

• National Mission for Skill Development was launched in July 2015 to train a minimum of 300 million skilled people by 2022.

• India’s first Indian Institute of Skills was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kanpur in December 2016.

• The primary objective of the institute is to empower India’s youth to be more employable and self-sustainable.

• The institute has been conceptualised by the Prime Minister during his visit to Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education.