*Cabinet directs P&DD to come up with complete memo
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Sept 7: In order to set up an exclusive administrative institution which can energize, boost and re-invigorate skill development landscape in a sustained and integrated manner, State Government will shortly launch Skill and Entrepreneurship Development Mission to be headed by Chief Minister. The concept paper in this regard was approved by the State Cabinet today with the direction to the Planning and Development Department to come up with a comprehensive memorandum in next Cabinet meeting.
According to the Concept Paper, the copy of which is available with EXCELSIOR, Jammu and Kashmir is facing a dichotomy of crisis and opportunity with almost 50% of its total population below 25 years of age and around 65% of the total population in the working age group of 15 to 59 years.
The population pyramid is expected to swell in the working age group bracket over the next decade and it is estimated that by 2022 (cumulative/incremental) , about 15 lakh people would join labour force in the State. However, the demographic advantage is predicted to last only until 2040 giving a very thin time-frame to strap up the dividend and fight out the skill shortages.
Stating that enormity of the challenge is complicated by the fact that J&K has certain peculiarities that are different from the rest of the country, the Concept Paper drafted by the new Chief Secretary B R Sharma in his capacity as Principal Secretary, Planning and Development Department, said, “this entail preserving and further strengthening/upgrading the base of traditional skills related to sectors line agriculture, horticulture, handicrafts, handlooms, eco-friendly tourism, which are central to the State’s economic structure”.
“At the same time, skill training efforts need to cut across multiple sectors to pave the way for equipping people with knowledge, technical know-how, skills and competence for the jobs of today and tomorrow, which includes harnessing entrepreneurial skill which has not been fully realized given the fact that the macro, small and medium enterprises sector hugely contributes to national GDP”, the paper said.
Sources said that in 2012 the J&K had set itself a target of skilling or up-skilling 9.1 lakh young men and women over the 12th Five Year Plan period. However, not much has been achieved in reaching the target even as more than half of the plan period is already over.
As per the study conducted by National Skill Development Corporation, by 2022, the J&K would have excess supply of manpower in semi-skilled and skilled levels but there will be shortage in minimally skilled category and this shortage has to be bridged by skilling initiatives. “Though the semi-skilled and skilled categories have surplus supply of human resources, they also need to be constantly up-skilled and also need to build skills for export considering the employability factor”, sources said.
Under the Skill & Entrepreneurship Development Mission, Skill Development Centres can be established in different areas of the State at the district, block or panchayat levels and the Mission after mapping the resource of a particular area can mobilize and place the youth in various sectors of economy where the relevant skills are required. “Many States have achieved milestones in the skill development only by way of providing an umbrella organization to coordinate the entire skill development activities”, the Concept Paper said.
Pointing out around 32 courses that can be offered immediately for skill development of youth, the Concept Paper said, “there is need to have full time Mission Director and District Administrative set up needs to be created/conceived with necessary manpower and infrastructure support to make the Mission fully vibrant and functional”, adding “there is requirement of framework document for inter and intra sectoral modalities for skill and entrepreneurship development”.
Stressing on coordination of all the existing schemes of the State and Central Governments related to skill development and entrepreneurship in the State, the Concept Paper said, “this will reduce any multiplicity of efforts as well as resource investment done in the name of skill development and entrepreneurship by various departments”.
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