National policy on skill developmet soon: Oscar

New Delhi, July 9 (UNI) The government is formulating a National Skill Development policy for empowering all individuals through improved skills, knowledge and internationally-recognized qualifications to enable them access to decent employment, Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes said today.

The Minister was addressing a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry.

Unveiling the main features of the proposed policy to the Members, Mr Fernandes said it addresses the issues relating to demand and supply, equity and access to ensure that skill development is inclusive in terms of gender, social divide (SC/ST/OBC/Minorities and others), location-divide (rural-urban), economic divide, difficult regions such as border and hill areas.

The policy would encourage public-private partnership to ensure that the needs of the industry are met in an effective and time-bound manner. He said that the Policy reflects the importance of meeting the twin objectives of the 11th Plan: achieving faster and more inclusive growth.

The Minister said that while the Policy Document envisages the use of existing institutional mechanisms, in view of the importance given to skill development, the National Council on Skill Development, which was recently notified is chaired by the PM himself.

National Skill Development Coordination Board (under Planning Commission) and a National Skill Development Corporation (under Ministry of Finance) have also been set up, the Labour Minister informed the Members.

The Members were informed that the new policy aims at supporting broader national agendas such as employment generation, economic growth and social development.

The policy also aims at continuous upgrading of the skills and knowledge besides promoting lifelong learning. It responds to technological changes taking place in the national and international arena, employment requirements and improvements in productivity and competitiveness of industry and service, he added.

The Members were informed that the capacity of the national skills development system would be expanded very substantially as a national mission. It would be expanded immediately to 15 million during the 11th Plan and raised to 50 million by the end of the 12th Plan.

Labour and Employment Secretary Sudha Pillai was present on the occasion and clarified several issues relating to the proposed policy.

The Members who attended the Meeting are Dawa Narbula, Bapu Hari Chaure, P. Rajendran, Gurudas Dasgupta, Bhai Lal, Narayan Singh Kesari, Balihari Babu, Mohammed Amin.

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