1 lakh technicians to be trained in refrigeration, air-conditioning service

A total of 1,00,000 technicians would be trained in refrigeration and air-conditioning service techniques to provide better employment opportunities.

An agreement was signed today between the Environment Ministry and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to undertake upskilling and certification of 100,000 refrigeration and air conditioning service technicians on good servicing practices and knowledge of alternate refrigerants to ozone-depleting chemicals.

The project has been funded under the Skill India Mission - Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

Emphasising that India is being globally lauded for its green initiatives and commitment to environment and climate change, Union minister Harsh Vardhan said Skill India can act as a catalyst in bringing about a change by skilling, up-skilling and re-skilling technicians to bring down the emission of harmful greenhouse gases.

He said even prior to the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding today, MoEF&CC has already launched a Green Skill Mission.

Under the Mission, within the next three years, training will be imparted to 5.86 lakh people, the Union environment, forest and climate change minister said.

Courses to provide skill development to scientists and technicians have also been drawn up in the Ministry of Science and Technology, he said.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) Dharmendra Pradhan invited the leaders of the industry to invest in equal measure in the initiative to skill technicians.

"I urge the industry to make equal contribution towards training of such technicians so that we further strengthen our industries and our youth. The focus on skill development should be as much as we have on research and production today," Pradhan said.

It is estimated that at present, there are around 2,00,000 refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) service technicians in the country, with a large number of them being in the informal sector.

An app to aid the technicians in learning through multimedia was launched on the occasion.