20,000 youths trained under Skill India in Meghalaya: Minister

SHILLONG: Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Thursday said around 20,000 youths in Meghalaya were trained under the Skill India initiative and plans are afoot to cover 20,000 more in the next one year.

Addressing a gathering at the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Cultural Centre here, the minister said the skilling initiatives for youths are being taken as part of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), a flagship programme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

"We have already skilled around 20,000 youths (in Meghalaya) and plan to cover as many more in the state in the coming 12 months," said Chandrasekhar, the minister of state for entrepreneurship, skill development, electronics and technology. Notably, the assembly election in the northeastern state is due this year.

Taking to Twitter, Chandrasekhar said, "Announced launch of PMKVY 4.0 under @MSDESkillIndia under which new courses frm (from) Blockchain-AI to mobile phone repair, vehicle maintenance etc will be introduced over next 12 months for #YoungIndians."

The objective of the skill certification scheme is to enable a large number of youths to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood. The minister paid tributes to Swami Vivekananda on his 160th birth anniversary, which is celebrated as National Youth Day across the country.

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He said it was a privilege for him to address an audience at the very place where Swami Vivekananda had delivered a public lecture in 1901. Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment that this decade would be India’s 'techade’, Chandrasekhar said, "To make India's 'techade' a reality, youths must grab opportunities available for them."

The union minister also held meetings with senior BJP leaders and party workers and shared with them the central government's vision for development. "Interacted with members of business community in #Shillong Spoke to them about Skilling initiatives planned by @narendramodigovt under @MSDESkillIndia’s #PMKVY 4.0 to empower youth & create opportunities for jobs & entrepreneurships," the minister said on the microblogging site.