Centre announces skilling, internship schemes for youth in Budget
24 July 2024 11:38 AM GMT
Picture Courtesy : DC
Central government has announced in the Union Budget 2024–2025 a major skilling initiative to empower 20 lakh youth per annum over the next five years. Part of the Prime Minister's package, it involves setting up of 1,000 industrial training institutes (ITIs), where youth will receive 12 months of training, a monthly stipend of ₹5,000, and a one-time assistance of ₹6,000.
The programme, with a total budget of ₹60,000 crore, will be funded by Government of India, state governments and industries. Additionally, five national institutes will be upgraded to train the trainers who will impart skills to the youth.
The government is also offering an internship programme with 500 top companies for 1 crore youth over the next five years. Applications for these internships will be processed online. Candidates with elite qualifications or certain familial and financial backgrounds will be excluded.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, AP Nirodyaga JAC state president Hemantha Kumar said as per a statement of then panchayat raj minister Nara Lokesh, 36 lakh unemployed youth had been awaiting job notifications. With more youth qualifying since then, unemployed will be 50 lakh in 2024. He wondered whether skill certificates will make students eligible for any specific job roles.
Visakhapatnam district skill development officer Sai Krishna Chaitanya said currently there are one skill college and 10 skill hub centres in Visakhapatnam, providing training in various fields, such as artificial intelligence, automobiles, apparel, electronics, healthcare, beauty and wellness.
He said total 2,442 students have acquired skill certificates from these institutions, and 2,800 job opportunities have been provided.
Subham, a recent graduate working in Bengaluru, expressed concerns about government-provided stipends replacing company stipends, potentially leading to financial loss for interns. Another student Pingali Bindu highlighted the heavy workload and lack of stipends in private IT companies. She expressed hope that the government initiatives will alleviate these issues.
A group of transgender individuals in Visakhapatnam shared their struggles despite receiving skill training in beauty parlour courses. They say banks are not providing them loans to set up their parlours. Existing parlours are discriminating and not employing them.
Millennium Software head Sreedhar Reddy praised the government’s initiative, saying stipends will encourage more students to take up internships.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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