Tag: skill india

SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT

Process of developing a sense of autonomy and self-confidence among Individual ,that allows them to act individually and collectively to have a say in social relationships and the institutions and discourses that exclude them,

The principle of personal and social empowerment is described as a process in which individuals or social groups come to acquire the skills necessary for taking control of their own lives. It is important for supporting and reinforcing the personal empowerment of other members of their group or community as well.

Social empowerment is understood as the process of developing a sense of autonomy and self-confidence. It also involves acting individually and collectively to change social relationships and the institutions and discourses that exclude poor people and lead to an increase in poverty.

Individual empowerment is influenced by individual assets like land, house, and savings along with social factors like health and education. Also, concepts of choice, liberty, agency, capacity, contribution, self-sufficiency and increased resources are all crucial to societal empowerment.

Social empowerment has both individual and community aspects related to it. Individual factors like self-esteem. Self-confidence, imagination, and aspirations all influence social full-fillment. People’s collective assets and capabilities such as voice, organisation, representation and identity also sway the social responsibility.

It is important that socially and economically backward classes of people get involved in local associations and inter-community cooperation mechanisms can contribute to social empowerment by improving their skills, knowledge, and self-perception.

Social Empowerment means all the sections of society in India, have equal control over their lives, are able to take important decisions in their lives and have equal opportunities. Without empowering all sections of society equally, a nation can never have a good growth trajectory.The government has been trying to empower different sections of our society by adopting a multi pronged strategy.

Social Empowerment – Women Empowerment

In the words of the current Prime Minister “empowering women means empowering the entire family.” In a country like India, a girl child faces challenges right from the time of her birth or one

can say a girl child has to fight even for her birth. Hence the Government of India has given a big focus on empowering women through various government sponsored schemes. Some of the important schemes are mentioned below.

  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao –

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme was launched on 22 January 2015 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It aims to address the issue of the declining child sex ratio image (CSR) and is a

national initiative jointly run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Human Resource Development. It initially focused multi-sector action in 100 districts throughout the country where there was a low CSR.

Pradhan Mantri Vandana Yojana

It is a maternity benefit program run by the Government of India. It was introduced in 2017 and is implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. It is a conditional cash transfer scheme for pregnant and lactating women of 19 years of age or above for the first live birth. It provides a partial wage compensation to women for wage-loss during childbirth and childcare and to provide conditions for safe delivery and good nutrition and feeding practices.

Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana

It is a Government of India backed saving scheme targeted at the parents of girl children. The scheme encourages parents to build a fund for the future education and marriage expenses for

their female child. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 22 January 2015 as a part of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign. The scheme currently provides high interest rates and tax benefits. The account can be opened at any India Post office or branch of authorized commercial banks.

Social Empowerment – Poor and Marginalized Sections

Marginalised sections of society are people belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes  (OBC). For poor and marginalised sections, empowerment means access to basic education, livelihood, and equal opportunities for growth. Some of the Government measures to address this section of society are mentioned below.

  • Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana

It is a financial inclusion program of the Government of India open to Indian citizens (minors of age 10 and older can also open an account with a guardian to manage it), that aims to expand affordable access to financial services such as bank accounts, remittances, credit, insurance pensions. This financial inclusion campaign was launched on 28 August 2014. Under this scheme 15 million bank accounts were opened on inauguration day.

  • Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana

Any Indian Citizen who has a business plan for a non-farm sector income generating activity such as manufacturing, processing, trading or service sector and whose credit need is less than Rs 10 lakh can approach either a Bank, MFI, or NBFC for availing of Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Ltd. (MUDRA) loans under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).

Skill India

Skill India campaign was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 15 July 2015 to train over 40 crore people in India in different skills by 2022.It is managed by the National Skills Development Corporation of India. United Kingdom (U.K), Japan, Oracle have collaborated with India for the Skill India Programme. One of the prominent initiatives under it is Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). The aim of the PMKVY scheme is to encourage aptitude towards employable skills and to increase working efficiency of probable and existing daily wage earners, by giving monetary awards and rewards and by providing quality training to them. The

The scheme has a target to train 1 crore Indian youth from 2016-20.

Scholarship Schemes for Education

To meet its goal of educational empowerment of the SC population, a large portion of the budget of the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment is directed to scholarships and there has been considerable success in its distribution within the target group. Post-Matric Scholarship (PMS – SC) for SC students has been in operation since 1944 and is the single largest intervention by the Government of India for the educational empowerment of scheduled caste students. It covers approximately 55 lakh students per year, studying at the post matriculation or post-secondary stage, right up to PhD. It has had positive outcomes on literacy level of the target groups, on dropout rates, participation in higher education, and finally in achievement of excellence and building human capital for the service of the nation. Other scholarship schemes for SC students are the Pre-Matric Scholarship, Top Class Education Scheme for studying in premier educational institutions and the National Fellowship Scheme run in conjunction with UGC.

It focuses on integrated development of SC majority villages. The programme is being taken up in villages which have more than 50% SC population.

Social Empowerment – Senior Citizens

Many senior citizens feel neglected and unwanted in the twilight years of their life. Government has taken measures to enable them to lead a respectable life with economic self-sufficiency. Some of the schemes for senior citizens are listed below.

Atal Pension Yojana

It is a government-backed pension scheme in India, primarily targeted at the unorganised sector. All subscribing workers below the age of 40 are eligible for pension of up to ₹5,000 per month on attainment of 60 years of age.

Rashtriya Vayoshri Yojana

It is a scheme for providing Physical Aids and Assisted-living Devices for Senior citizens belonging to BPL category. This is a Scheme, fully funded by the Central Government. The expenditure for implementation of the scheme will be met from the “Senior Citizens’ Welfare Fund”. The Scheme will be implemented through the sole implementing agency – Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation (ALIMCO), a PSU under the Ministry of Social Justice and

Empowerment.

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana

This is a pension scheme for senior citizens.This to enable old age income security and welfare of Senior Citizens.

Social Empowerment – Disabled Group

For the differently able, their disability often makes them feel that they are a burden on society. Their requirements for empowerment are very different thereby requiring programmes customised to suit their needs. Some of the schemes to help them lead quality life are

mentioned below.

1. Deendayal Disabled Rehabilitation schemes

2. Accessible India campaign

Social Empowerment – Scheduled Tribes

National mainstream policies and compulsions result in the tribal communities feeling either isolated from the mainstream or losing their identity. Government has taken initiatives to handle the issues faced by the Scheduled Tribes which are listed below.

1. Forest Rights Act

2. Minimum Support Price (MSP) for Minor Forest Produce.

3. Schemes for Vocational Training

What is Financial Literacy? Why is it important?

Financial literacy is knowing how to handle your money and use it productively in more than one way. Often we spend our money carelessly and regret it later. Utilising your money in a way that proves useful in the present or sometime in future is why financial literacy is important. This is just a brief description of it. In a real sense, it is a very vast subject. 

Financial literacy involves things like budgeting, saving, investing and loans and interest. This skill is developed when one gets involved in financial transactions. 

What is financial literacy?

It is the ability to understand and effectively use financial skills. Financial skills include:

  • Budgeting 
  • Saving
  • Investing 
  • Credit management 
  • Financial management

You might deal with these in your day to life. But to acquire these skills one needs to understand the basic financial concepts. These financial concepts include the time value of money, compound interest, annualised returns and opportunity cost. 

Why is financial literacy important?

The answer is very simple. You are financially literate, you can manage your money more effectively. It increases your confidence to manage your money and allocates it towards your goals. 

  • Distributing your income in a way that your expenses get paid without disturbing your budget. Note how much income is coming in and distribute it accordingly. And make sure to keep a track of your expenses and make changes in your spending plan now and then. 
  • If you are financially literate, you know that while seeking a loan you look at for the one with the lowest rate of interest. Comparing different loan plans is very important. You also are well aware that paying credit card bills on time is for your good. Because after a certain time you get charged with interest. This will only increase your expenses. time
  • Emergency funds are very essential in today’s uncertain time. Start saving little by little separately for emergencies. If you are already a financial literate you know that saving money equivalent to your three or six-month income is a must. Use it when you are in dire need of money. 
  • Everyone has to stop working after a certain age. Maybe because of health issues or because of retirement. Thus, you need to have a retirement plan. You should be well aware of which accounts will help you secure a good life after retirement.

How to improve financial literacy skills?

  • Manage your bills properly. Use the auto-debit option for recurring bills. Don’t postpone paying bills for late as it may affect the entire budget.
  • Maintain a good credit score. If you have a good credit score you can secure low-interest rates on loans and credit cards. 
  • Manage your debts properly. Stop spending lavishly and start saving and increase repayments. This will reduce your liability and pay off loans with high interests first.
  • Start saving and investing more. Investments are a good way to increase your saving. Invest where the rate of return is high. Also, don’t spend needlessly and save that money for something better and use it effectively. 

Lack of financial literacy will lead to budget mismatch, higher expenses, accumulation of debt, poor credit score and financial frauds. 

Acquiring financial skills will help you make major financial decisions. It ensures that you have a stable present as well as a future. It is a necessity.

Pm mudra yojana scheme

The Government of India launched a flagship scheme called Prime Minister Mudra Yojana (PMMY) on 8th April 2015 to extend affordable loans to the non-corporate, non-farm micro and small enterprises to cater to their funding needs. One of the major aims of MUDRA loans was to bring the target audience into the formal financial fold.

What is MUDRA?

Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency Limited is MUDRA full form created as a refinancing institution providing loans up to Rs. 10 lakhs maximum to the eligible enterprises through the Commercial Banks, RRBS, Cooperative Banks, NBFC and MFI etc. The borrowers can approach the nearby branches of the lending institutions or apply for loans under the MUDRA scheme or apply online.

The genesis of MUDRA:

The largest economic sector of the country after agriculture comprises of non-corporate micro enterprises generating the bulk of the employment opportunities estimated to be approximately ten crores impacting the life of 50 crore Indians. They are mainly engaged in manufacturing, trading, processing and services, and the enterprises are broadly classified as proprietary or Own Account Enterprises (OAE). Understandably, this sector is deemed to be the economic bulwark of the country, yet it is reckoned to be the largest disorganized business eco-systems in the world. The NSSO survey of 2013 places the OAE at 5.77 crore units, which lie out of the ambit of the formal financial sector enjoying no credit facilities whatsoever. The MUDRA scheme under the aegis of the PMMY aims to be this huge sector into the fold of institutional credit, transforming them into a potent instrument of employment and GDP growth.

The mission statement of Pradhan Mantri Mudra Loan is to create an inclusive value based entrepreneurial culture which is sustainable in partnership with financial institutions in achieving financial security and success.

 key benefits of MUDRA loan:

  • Micro and small enterprises engaged in income generation are the prime target for extension of loan facilities.
  • The borrowers are not required to provide any collateral or security to avail of Mudra Loan.
  • There are no processing charges for availing of the loan.
  • The loans are provided for the funded and non-funded category, inducing an element of flexibility in the usage of funds.
  • The loans can be in the form of term loans, overdraft facility, letters of credit or bank guarantees, thus catering to a wide array of requirements.
  • The Mudra loan scheme does not prescribe any minimum amount.

MUDRA Loan Details:

The name of the type of loan facilities under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Loan is suggestive of the developmental phases of an enterprise and the quantum of loan sanctioned. There are three Categories of the MUDRA loans based on the stated parameters making the business viable.

1. Sishu: This loan is meant for entrepreneurs who are looking to start a business or in the process of establishing one. The maximum loan sanctioned under this category is Rs.50000. The basic norms of the loan are:

  • To provide finance for machinery.
  • Valid quotation and supplier details are essential.

2. Kishor: Under the MUDRA scheme, this category of loan is targeted towards entrepreneurs looking to expand their business through the infusion of fresh funds. Thus, the loan sanctioned under this category is in the range of Rs.50001 to Rs.5 lakhs. The key requirements for availing of this loan are:

  • The existing balance sheet for the previous two years.
  • Bank account statement.
  • Income and sales returns.
  • Estimated balance sheet for the current year.

3.Tarun: The third type of loan under PMMY is for entrepreneurs who are well entrenched and have established themselves in the business and yet looking for further growth or diversification. The loan sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana for this type of loan is in the range of Rs.500001 to Rs.10 lakhs. The amount involved being the highest under the MUDRA Scheme, the requirements are more stringent than the other two loans. Some of the key requirements are:

  • All the requirements listed for Kishor Mudra Loan.
  • Address and Identity proof.
  • Caste certificate, if eligible for reservation.
  • Primarily the loan facilities are extended to non-corporate non-farm enterprises. However, farm sector enterprises involved in allied services like fisheries, food processing and horticulture, to name a few are eligible.

So, if you are thinking to start your own business, you can take benefits of this scheme and contact with your nearby bank branches, check the eligibility of banks and processes and take loan according to your business.

skill india mission

 Skill India Mission is a government scheme launched in 2015. It is an umbrella scheme that has many skilling schemes and programmes under it. The chief objective is to empower the youth of the country with adequate skill sets that will enable their employment in relevant sectors and also improve productivity. 

Skill India Objectives

The chief objective of the Skill India Mission is to provide market-relevant skills training to more than 40 crore young people in the country by the year 2022.

  • The mission intends to create opportunities and space for the development of talents in Indian youth.
  • It aims to develop those sectors which have been put under skill development for the last many years, and also to recognize new sectors for skill development.

Other objectives are:

  1. Closing the gap between skill required by the industry and skills people possess for employment generation.
  2. Reducing poverty in the country.
  3. Increasing the competitiveness of Indian businesses.
  4. Ensuring that skill training imparted is relevant and of quality.
  5. Preparing Indians to take on the world manpower/resources market.
  6. Diversifying the existing skill development programmes to meet today’s challenges.
  7. Building actual competencies rather than giving people mere qualifications.
  8. Offering opportunities for lifelong learning for developing skills.
  9. Augmenting better and active engagement of social partners and building a strong public-private partnership in skill development.
  10. Mobilising adequate investments for financing skills development sustainable.

Features of Skill India

There are many features to the Skill India Mission that make it different from the previous skill development missions.

  • The focus is on improving the employability of the youth so that they get employment and also enhances entrepreneurship among them.
  • The mission offers training, guidance and support for all traditional types of employment like weavers, cobblers, carpenters, welders, masons, blacksmiths, nurses, etc.
  • New domains will also be emphasised on such as real estate, transportation, construction, gem industry, textiles, banking, jewellery designing, tourism and other sectors where the level of skill is inadequate.
  • Training imparted would be of international standards so that India’s youth get jobs not only in India but also abroad where there is demand.
  • An important feature is the creation of a new hallmark ‘Rural India Skill’.
  • Customised need-based programmes would be started for specific age groups in communication, life and positive thinking skills, language skills, behavioural skills, management skills, etc.
  • The course methodology would also not be unconventional and would be innovative. It would involve games, brainstorming sessions, group discussions, case studies and so on.

Why does India need a skills development programme?

As of a 2014 report, India’s formally skilled workforce is just 2%. Additionally, there is a huge problem of employability among the educated workforce of the country. Lack of vocational or professional skills makes it difficult for the youth to adapt to changing demands and technologies of the marketplace. The high level of unemployment is due to the failure to get jobs and also due to a lack of competency and training.

  • A study by the Skill Development Council (NSDC) indicates that there will be a need for around 12 crores skilled manpower by 2022 across 24 key sectors.
  • Casual workers, who constitute about 90% of the labour force, are poorly skilled as they do not get adequate training. Current vocational training programmes do not meet their demands.
  • There is a problem of social acceptability when it comes to vocational education. Vocational courses are looked down upon and this needs to change.
  • Changing technology is a big challenge and opportunity for the labour force. Employees will have to constantly upgrade their skills if they are to remain relevant in the job market.
  • There is a problem with the lack of infrastructure in the current training institutes.
  • Another problem is the poor quality of trainers available. Students trained by such trainers are not employable in the industry.
  • There is a big issue with the standardisation of skills in the country. New schemes are designed to resolve this issue by having nationwide standards that also stand up to international benchmarks.

Skilling is important because of the following factors:

  1. Demographic dividend: Most major economies of the world have an ageing population. India, with a favourable demographic dividend, can grab this opportunity and serve the manpower market. But, for this adequate skilling is to be provided to up the employability. To capitalise on this, there is only a narrow demographic window, that of a few decades.
  2. The percentage of the workforce receiving skill training is only 10% in India which is very small compared to other countries – Germany (75%), Japan (80%), South Korea (96%).
  3. Sectoral mobilisation: As productivity improves in agriculture due to increased mechanisation, there will be fewer people required in the farming sector. There will thus be a shift from this sector to other secondary and tertiary activities.

National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015

The chief objective of this policy is to match the challenge of skilling at scale with speed, standard (quality) and sustainability. It aims to offer an umbrella framework to all skilling activities carried out within India, to align them to common standards and connect skilling with demand centres. In addition to laying down the objectives and expected outcomes, the policy also identifies the overall institutional framework which will act as a means to achieve the expected results. 

Skill Loan Scheme

Under this scheme, loans ranging from Rs.5000 to Rs. 1.5 lakhs will be provided for those seeking to attend skill development programmes. The idea behind the scheme is to remove financial hurdles for people who want to upgrade their skills and learn new skills.

Conclusion

Though skill training in the country has improved in recent years, the absence of job linkages is only aggravating the problem of unemployment. The newly appointed Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Dharmendra Pradhan has echoed a similar concern. “We have to think big way, a lot of technologies are coming, conventional jobs are squeezed, new verticals are emerging, what are they, they have to be informed to employable youths which all big jobs are there.”

Skill development starts with identifying future job prospects and segmenting it according to the need and feasibility of training candidates. The PPP model of operation of SSCs presents a great chance of bringing industry best practices in learning and development into such training modules. Private players can use technology to automate, improve and scale training and certification approach of skill-based training. By creating better linkages between the many stakeholders in the process and establishing key deliverables and a clear chain of accountability would help make such training programs more effective. Working towards increasing the accessibility of such training programs, in parallel, should also be looked at. A recently proposed move of making such training more district centric is a step towards that direction.

As India aims to have one of the strongest economic growth stories in the 21st century, it becomes vital for it ensure it growing workforce is capable to handle the incoming disruptions and find suitable jobs. And a core part of this is to tackle the problem of unskilled labor in India and fix its skilling initiatives, today rather than tomorrow.