SHILLONG, JAN 27: Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma said Meghalaya is facing a major challenge in trying to make the youths to take up entrepreneurship as one of the ‘potential-career’ even as he emphasized on the need to ensure that the skill development programme reaches the grass root level.
“There are lots of challenges in making our youths to take entrepreneurship as one of the potential career,” Sangma said.
Addressing at the inaugural function of the State of Art Mechanic (Motor Vehicle) section of the government’s Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Shillong held on Tuesday, Sangma said the government through the labour and other departments has targeted to provide skill development to about 2 lakhs youths under the 12th plan.
But Sangma said, “But we are way behind achieving the target as till now the labour department has been able to provide skills to only 19,000 youths.” He said, the figure is less than 5,000 with other departments which adds up to only 30, 000 skilled youths out of the targeted 2 lakhs.
Stating that if only 60, 000 people are in the government job now even after 43 years of statehood, then the only job space that is available is outside the government sector,” Sangma felt. He said, “We must know what we should be doing and what we should be providing for our younger generation to ensure that every young friend now and the future are made capable of being productive.”
Pointing that there is lot of potentials in the state, Sangma, however, said, “But what is happening is that we are looking at the same kind of education system which revolves around giving certificates and not looking at the question of employable youth.”
“When looking at the north east, especially Meghalaya, and compare it with Gujarat. The spirit of entrepreneurship is in their (Gujarat) DNA,” Sangma said adding but in Meghalaya young people with professional degrees are waiting for four to six years for government jobs.
Sangma also informed that all districts have got the sanction for setting up of the ITIs. He said recently the state government got sanctions for setting up of ITIs in two new districts – Khliehriat in East Jaintia Hills and Mawkyrwat in South West Khasi Hills even as he said that ITI is to create work force and eventually attract friends to come to Meghalaya and look at the state as a destination.
Stressing that such initiative needs to go beyond the district capitals down to the block level which has huge catchment area of young aspiring youth, Sangma said, “We have re-strategize our approach to empower our people both youth and also people who have crossed their age.”
Stating that the challenges that the state have been confronted when trying to give skills and empower friends with knowledge and skills, Sangma said, “If we confine this exercise only up to the state capital, we indirectly actually creates lots of migration and not only that we also leave out many potentials aspiring young men and women.”
Earlier, Meghalaya labour minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said with 53 per cent of the youth being unemployable and alarming drop-out rate, they have to knock on the doors of the ITIs. “We have to welcome them (youths), trained them and sent them to ensure they earn their own buck for the day,” she said adding “Gone are the days when government job is looked at as the only option.”
Lyngdoh informed that the labour department would soon upgrade several ITIs in the state in order to strengthen the employability of the people.
The state of the art Mechanic section of the ITI is a joint collaboration between the Meghalaya labour department and the Tata Motors Private Limited.
Meghalaya’s labour department principal secretary MS Roa informed that the state government is spending Rs 1 crore while the Tata Motors is investing Rs 50 lakhs for the programme. He also said that this is the first successful PPP mode for the development of ITI in the state.
An MoU was also signed between the Meghalaya labour department and the Tata Motors during the function.
Chairman of the National Skill Development Agency S Ramadorai also spoke on the occasion.- By Our Reporter
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