Sachin Tendulkar to bat for ‘Skill India’ campaign

The government has roped in the cricket sensation for highlighting its skill development programme.

Ashok Kumar/OWSA

The Indian government has roped in batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar for endorsing its ambitious ‘Skill India’ campaign.

The ‘I Support Skill India’ campaign of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) aims at raising the standard of living for people at the lower rung of the pyramid by ensuring better wages and dignity of labour.

The ministry’s ‘I Support Skill India’ campaign is an endeavour to galvanise all stakeholders across states, organisation, industries, to bring value and respect to skills and standardise the ecosystem to address human resource requirements across the national and globally.

Elaborating on the relevance of skills and his association with Skill India, Sachin Tendulkar, said that Skill India is a big opportunity extended to all. “When I was approached for endorsing Skill India, I realised that it is an important component in one’s personal growth that needs to be valued and mastered.”

“We are a young nation and we have the potential in us. We just need to learn a skill that is driven by our passion and turn it into an opportunity for us. We should avail it to its best,” Tendulkar adds.

Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Parliamentary Affairs, said that the new campaign is a step towards sensitizing the society and achieving the mandate of creating a skilled India.

Rudy urged for giving due importance to skill sets. “It is imperative that we build respect for skills and that is exactly the idea behind our new campaign. It is important that we come together as a society and recognise the need for skilled workforce in our day to day life,” he said.

On making Tendulkar, face of the campaign, he said, “Sachin is a true global icon and brand that disrupted the game of cricket through his skill sets and inspired generations,” he further adds.

Rohit Nandan, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, “MSDE wanted to use a communications methodology to reach out to the young people and show them that there is a value in the skills certificate which would lead to a career progression and recognize prior learning - a certificate that can be their companion for life.”

Government is targeting to skill 40.2 crore youth by the year 2022. It had also introduced its flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) which is the world’s largest monetary reward scheme promoting skill development to those who need financial support.