Ramadorai appointed advisor to PM on skill development

The government today appointed S Ramadorai, former CEO of leading software company TCS, as advisor to the Prime Minister for the National Skill Development Council.

Ramadorai, currently vice-chairman, TCS, will hold the rank of a Cabinet minister, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a release.

He is the second senior IT professional from private sector to be appointed on such a high post. Earlier, the government had appointed Nandan Nilekani of Infosys as chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

The Council, which is headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeks to develop a strategy for skill development at the national level along with variations at the state level and formulate strategies to address the skill deficit.

"Investment in skills is critical for benefiting from the demographic dividend of India. It is already one of the youngest nations in the world with a majority of people below the age 30," the release said.

As CEO and managing director of TCS, Ramadorai was instrumental in building the company into a $6 billion global software and services company with 144,000 trained and qualified professionals.

"He has been handpicked by the Prime Minister to advise the National Council on Skill Development," the statement said, adding the council would also try promote greater use of Information Communications Technology in the area of skill development.

The Council has been operating as a three-tier structure with the apex entity being chaired by the Prime Minister; a coordination unit chaired by the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission; and a National Skill Development Corporation located in Ministry of Finance specifically focusing on supporting the private sector.

The Planning Commission will be the nodal agency for providing administrative, logistic, planning and budgeting support to the office of Adviser to the Prime Minister, the release added.