Over one lakh youths enrolled in skill dev programmes: HP CM

Highlighting the importance of skill development to increase employability, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said presently over one lakh youths are being trained under programmes of the Himachal Pradesh Kaushal Vikas Nigam.
"The state government has established the Kaushal Vikas Nigam to synergies skill and livelihood training programmes of different departments for the youth, and has launched a Rs 640 crore ADB funded HP Skill Development Project to improve employment opportunities," he said at the 'Kaushal Himachal, Samridh Himachal' conclave here.
The Nigam has signed several MoUs with various industrial organisations to increase employment opportunities, Singh said.
The Chief Minister urged the industry and sector skill councils to associate themselves with the Nigam for seamless and integrated training.

He said a budgetary provision of Rs 100 crore had been made for the Skill Development Allowance Scheme in the current fiscal and the government has also started vocational education in 500 schools with 35,000 students learning various trades.
"The government is conscious of the need to provide college going youth with advanced vocational education and short term courses aligned to the National Skill Qualification Framework in various government colleges," Singh asserted.
Under a pilot training programme 1,080 youths from six districts are enrolled in eight sectors. In Kangra it is retail and hospitality; textiles and life Sciences in Solan; IT in Shimla; furnitureand fittings in Mandi; automobile in Nahan-Paonta and hospitality in Kullu, he informed.

The Chief Minister also interacted with the trainees and industrialists through video-conferencing.