India’s skill development ministry to bridge skilled workforce gap

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi envisaged the dream for a separate Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Ministry to fill the huge gap of skilled workforce in our country, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Rajiv Pratap Rudy said during a session at the Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai. The 68th round of the National Sample Survey ranked India for skilled workforce for a mere 3.5 percent whereas the biggest partner country South Korea stands at 96 percent, Rudy said. “Education has always been of utmost importance in our country with a distinct bias against skilled education because of which India stands at 3.5 percent of skilled labour today,” the minister said, adding that to envisage a dream to Make in India there is a dire need to have Makers in India. Rudy citing an example of the lack of licensed heavy vehicle drivers in Bihar and Jharkand informed the audience that the Tata Company has tied up with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to set up 500 training schools for heavy vehicle drivers across the country. On the side-lines of the conference, he urged that skilling needs to be a part of the Indian education system.