New Delhi: Concerned over the state of skill development, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday asked the ministries to prepare plans for the next year with special focus on skilling needs of minorities, SC, ST and backwards.
Chairing a meeting of the National Council on Skill Development, he asked his Cabinet colleagues to focus on sectors like infrastructure, real estate, auto and auto components, textile, healthcare, retail and logistics. Singh asked ministers to keep in mind the skilling needs of people belonging to SC, ST, backward classes, minorities, women and those with disabilities. His remarks come at a time when elections have been announced to five state assemblies, including Uttar Pradesh.
"I must say our efforts on skill development side so far have been rather tentative. We cannot let this state of affairs continue," he said. The time is appropriate to set ministry-wise targets for skill development in the run-up to the Union Budget in mid-March, he said.
Skill requirement studies estimate that India will require around 26 crore skilled people by 2018 and around 34 crore by 2022, he said adding that there was a need to provide quality training to around eight crore people in the next five years.
"There is a significant gap between the requirement and the supply which unless checked will constrain our economic growth," he said. Singh also called upon the ministries to work closely with the states and to allow them to select training providers and trades and create a decentralised approval mechanisms.
PTI