JK govt set to launch ESDM scheme

The Department of Information Technology (DIT) will soon launch the Electronic System Design and Maintenance (ESDM) scheme in Jammu and Kashmir to train 5,000 students in the current financial year.

The Secretary in the Information Technology (IT) Department, Saugat Biswas, in a meeting reviewed preparations for skill development training in the Electronic System Design and Maintenance (ESDM) sector.

The meeting was attended by the Key Implementing Agencies (KIAs) including National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Electronic Sector Skill Council of India (ESSCI) and Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC), both autonomous industry-led bodies affiliated to the National Skill Development Corporation, and the State Implementing Agency, J&K e-Governance Agency (JaKeGA).

J&K e-Governance Agency which is the State Implementing Agency for the scheme had recently invited applications from desirous candidates for undergoing the training in 24 different National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) aligned courses.

Over 13,500 candidates are to be supported under the scheme in the state in five levels of vocational skill development courses, he said.

Apart from other decisions taken in the meeting, readiness of training partners in terms of availability of training infrastructure, qualified and NSQF compliant resource persons was emphasised.

The IT secretary said the training centres will be inspected and only centres well equipped to provide quality training to the students will be allowed.

He was informed that the IT department through the KIAs and over 79 training partners spread across the state will impart training in 15 different vocational courses.

The training partners will also be tying up with the industry both local as well as outside the state for providing employment to successful candidates.

Over 5,500 candidates will be trained in the current financial year and around 8,500 candidates will be trained in the next fiscal, the meeting was told.

The scheme will subsidise 100 per cent course fee for SC, ST and EWS candidates and 75 per cent for the rest, focusing on students and unemployed youth at 8th-10th standard onwards, ITI, diploma, engineering graduates, non-engineering graduates, with the aim of increasing their employability to work in manufacturing and service support sector.