Giriraj Singh calls for need-based skill mapping of youth

New Delhi, Dec 10 Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh has called for need-based skill mapping for employment and training to youth, mainly in the rural areas.

Noting that the quality of job training is important, the minister urged to explore means to see how best the traditional trades can be integrated with electronic, education and training, IT & BPO and tourism and hospitality sectors to create more employment opportunities for the youth in the country.

He was speaking after opening the new campus of the National Academy of Rural Development and Self Employment Training Institute (RUDSET) - NAR at Kumbalagodu in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Singh cited a UN report that says in the coming 20 years, India's work force would grow by 32 per cent while the overall global manpower would dip by four per cent. He said that Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) are following up with the Banks and Financial Institutions to make available required credit to the trained candidates for their successful settlement. As many as 14.28 lakh trained candidates were credit linked and the cumulative credit disbursed is to the tune of Rs 7,200 crores. The average level of credit linkage of RSETI trained candidates is 51 per cent, the minister added.

Singh also said that the RSETIs have a significant role in building India into a major human resources hub, adding that RSETIs have trained 44 lakh youths of which nearly about 31 lakh candidates have settled so far.

The minister noted that of the total candidates trained, about 29 lakhs are women candidates, over 66 per cent, which proves that RSETIs are giving a lot of importance to "women empowerment".

A sum of Rs 25 crores has been approved for the project of new campus of NAR in Bengaluru. The state government has allotted 3.5 acres of land.

At present, there are 590 RSETIs functioning, covering 572 districts across 27 states and six Union Territories. These include 33 RSETIs in Karnataka having trained 3.49 lakh unemployed youths so far. RSETIs are sponsored by 24 banks including banks in public, private, co-operative sectors and Garmin Banks.

Chief Minister of Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai, and others joined the inaugural event.