Jaipur, 9 February: The Rajasthan Minister of State for Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship, Mr. Surender Pal Singh TT today said that the Prime Minister’s three pronged initiative of Skill India, Make In India and Digital India will transform the very employment scene of the country for better. He was speaking today on the occasion as a Guest of Honour for the 9th edition of CII ‘Skills & HR Conclave 2016’ at SMS Convention Centre in Jaipur.
The Minister further said that the labour reforms brought about by the State Government under the visionary leadership of the Chief Minister have been widely appreciated and are proving to be a game changer. So much so that even the Central Government is taking steps to implement a similar policy in labour reforms. During the Resurgent Rajasthan 11 Memorandas of Understanding (MoUs) were signed with prestigious companies to improve the skilling ecosystem in the State thereby enhancing employment opportunities for the unemployed youth.
Earlier, the Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment & Minority Affairs, Dr. Arun Chaturvedi said that there is a close link between education, a degree and finally a job because of the degree. He recalled that during his student days, they had agitated for a degree being linked to employment. He said it was unfortunate even today a large number of educated young men and women are unemployable because of not having a particular set of skills. He urged organizations like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to join hands with the Government to set up skill development centres for training the large young workforce of the State and the country.
The Commissioner of Skills, Employment & Entrepreneurship & MD, Rajasthan Skills & Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC), Government of Rajasthan, Mr. Gaurav Goyal said in his theme address that the quality of school education in rural areas needed to be considerably improved since even class 5 students lacked the basic skills of language and arithmetic. Four out of 5 engineers in India were unemployable, he said quoting. What is required are apprenticeship reforms. There are as many as 14,000 young apprentices undergoing training this year. This number of trained apprentices will go up to upto 1 lakh next year. He informed that more and more industries are setting up Centre of Excellence with the help of Department of Skill, Employment & Entrepreneurship.
The Group Chief HR Officer of Tractors & Farm Equipment Ltd.(TAFE), Mr. Muthukumar Thanu said that the time has come when the women will have to work 24 x 7. They have already empowered themselves through education and requisite skills and need to perform their jobs which will also bring about a social change.
The Joint Managing Director & Co-Founder of NIIT Limited, Mr. P. Rajendran said that entrepreneurship is in the DNA of Rajasthani industrialists and businessmen. With the call made for Startup India, new opportunities will come in the State for employment. At one time established industries and even banks had resisted the IT revolution thinking that it would make them lose jobs. However, the IT initiatives have further expanded businesses and today this sector is one of the largest employers.
Earlier, the Chairman of CII Rajasthan & CMD of Mayur Uniquoters Ltd., Mr. Suresh K Poddar in his welcome address said that last one year has seen a positive move from the Government with the creation of a dedicated Department of Skill Employment & Entrepreneurship at Central as well as in the Rajasthan. In support, the CII has been working towards creation of a demand–responsive eco-system for Skill Development with a multi-pronged approach.
The Director & Head – Rajasthan State Officer, CII, Mr. Nitin Gupta said that CII has adopted 46 Government ITIs in Rajasthan and helping the IMC Chairpersons to convert them into Centres of Excellence. Furthermore, CII is also helping in getting the students and ex-servicemen placed in various organisations. With Central Government too, CII is actively organising competitions such as Work Skills and World Skills International.
The Vote of Thanks was proposed by the Past Chairman of CII Rajasthan, Mr. Anand Singhal who said that the setting up of Skill Development Centres in rural areas should be given the highest priority.
It is to be recalled that the one-day event is being organized by the CII Rajasthan in association with the RSLDC. Over 225 delegates from pan-India are participating in the Conclave. On the occasion a publication entitle ‘Skill Rajasthan’ (Apprenticeship Training Scheme) was released by the dignitaries on the dais.