NSDC prepares a platform to ensure speedy skilling of migrant returnees

A list of 116 most-affected districts has been prepared, where states are struggling to rehabilitate livelihoods.

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has prepared a platform to ensure speedy skilling of migrant returnees in 116 most-affected districts, where states are struggling to rehabilitate livelihoods. 

The list of districts correspond to the ‘Atmanirbhar districts’ planned by the Centre across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Rajasthan. The government has directed that work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act be fast-tracked in these states, along with more loans for small businesses.

For skilling, district collectors will provide data on the migrants who will be skilled at existing Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana centres. But since these centres were built keeping in mind certain professions, the cost and time required to retrofit these for other kinds of training are set to be significant, sources say. As of now, all training centres are closed due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Also, the district list leaves out two key states ruled by opposition parties — Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. Sources say the Prime Minister’s Office is drawing up a list and will take a final call on Tuesday.

While short-term training is on the cards for up to 300,000 migrants in these districts, those who want to stay back for the near term will be prioritised, they say. “The back-end work is done and we are now waiting for data to come in. Soon, we will tell states how to go about it,” said NSDC Managing Director and Chief Executive Manish Kumar. NSDC’s internal estimates peg the number of returning migrants at 6.7 million in these districts but the figure is expected to go up once further data comes in.

Job portal

The pandemic has coincided with NSDC's efforts to launch the Skill Management Information System, which maps skilled and certified workers and connects them with private firms based in industrial clusters nearby. The online platform was recently launched and is being managed by Bengaluru-based blue-collar workforce management start-up Betterplace. The platform aims to operate as a job portal and effectively banks on recognition of prior learning. This refers to the process of finding those who are already skilled in various job roles but have no formal certification, said Kumar. He said government allocations had been made for the purpose as well as for short-term training.

The NSDC estimates that of 420 million Indians in the labour force, almost 360-370 million are already skilled but many face issues of getting hired due to the overwhelming presence of middlemen and fixers. With the Covid-19 pandemic disrupting the supply chain for labour, many of these traditional arrangements have broken down. “As a result, migrants in many cities have found themselves lacking work despite the availability of jobs in the immediate vicinity. Now, the plan is to allow them to seek work on their own, closer to home,” a senior official monitoring the situation said.