Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 281/15

MEETING OF SUB-GROUP OF CMS ON SKILL DEVELOPMENT HELD IN CITY

Shillong, May 11, 2015: The Sub-Group of Chief Ministers on Skill Development which was formed by the Governing Council of NITI Aayog held a Regional Consultation Meeting today at the State Convention Centre, Shillong. The Chief Minister of Punjab is Convener, Chief Ministers of Meghalaya, Assam, Chhatisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Tripura are members and CEO/NITI Aayog is the Coordinator of the Sub-Group. The Regional Consultation Meeting at Shillong was participated by 13 States. While three States, namely Punjab, Meghalaya and Arunachal were represented by their Chief Ministers, Mizoram, Nagaland and Assam were represented by their Ministers, Tripura by Chief Secretary and Sikkim, Chhatisgarh, Manipur, Puducherry, Bihar and Odisha were represented by their respective Officers.

The objective of the meeting was to deliberate on measures to enhance capacity and improve standards of skilling at the State level, examine private sector participation in skill development and to suggest ways for improved partnership of private sector in curriculum development, delivery mechanism, pedagogy, certification, apprenticeship training and propose measures to expand outreach of skilling programmes, particularly in demographically advantageous States. Some of the important issues discussed in the Regional Consultation Meeting were implementation structure of skill development programmes in the States, shortage of trainers, utilising the Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare funds available with the States for skill development, harnessing of traditional skills, making best use of the resources and opportunities available with the States, promoting local entrepreneurship in viable sectors and the funding requirement for Skill Development Programmes.

In his opening address, Chief Minister of Punjab & Convener of the Sub-Group, Prakash Singh Badal expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his timely action in setting up the sub-committee to address “the most important issue in the country”. Stating that India is the youngest nation country in the world with 65 percent of the population below 35 years of age, he said, “after independence much care has not been taken about the issue and India remained an unskilled nation lagging far behind other countries in skill development”, adding that it is the vision of the Prime Minister to make each and every youth of the country a skilled employable citizens. He also stressed on the need to link skill training to placement, to motivate the youth that skill is more important than having government jobs and to work on a mission mode. With more unemployed youths in the rural areas, he also called for skill upgradation in agriculture and allied activities.

Participating in the discussion, Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma said that the meeting was an opportune moment for integrating creative and practical ideas from various states specifically to up-skill the young generation, adding that the North-Eastern states share the same challenges of providing jobs to the unemployed youth. Calling for the supporting interventions from the line departments, Dr. Sangma said there was a need to upscale the targets set in the 12th Plan and find employment spaces for the youth within the respective states and within the region. In spite of giving skills, there are challenges of placement and the bigger challenge is retaining them in other parts of the country, which is due to cultural differences, he added.

Dr. Sangma also said that there was a need to integrate the idea of skill development right from the school level. On promotion of traditional skills, Dr. Sangma said that majority of skilled weavers in the country are from North East, so they only need to be given advanced training. Apprising the meeting about the various livelihood programmes under Agriculture and allied sectors that open up a lot of entrepreneurship opportunities, he stressed on the need for proper policy on trade and commerce and the need to “exploit opportunities within our own backyards” and look at spaces of engagement with other states.

Arunachal Chief Minister Nabam Tuki also apprised the meeting of the skill development programs being taken in the state since 2012 and its plans to have an ITI in every district with job oriented courses and requested the Central Government to make skill development a mission-mode program. Representatives from other member-states, including Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Chattisgarh, Puducherry, Sikkim, Manipur, Odisha and Bihar also shared their state initiatives on skill development, the challenges faced and offered suggestions.

Concluding the meeting, the CEO, NITI Aayog, Ms.Sindhushree Khullar, said the discussions in this meeting were more wide-ranging and broader than the one they had in Delhi. She urged upon the member-states to send their suggestions and ensure that they are practical, saying the more practical their views the more they are likely to be implemented. She also said that three issues discussed in the meeting, namely, the issue of construction workers, Agar plantation and Apiculture would be pursued further by the NITI Aayog. The meeting also decided to constitute a sub-committee of officers who would visit each other’s states and take note of their best practices. The next regional consultation meeting would be held in Chhattisgarh sometime in the month of June, next.

Press Release No. 282/15

ORDINANCE PASSED ON MEGHALAYA VILLAGE ACT

Shillong, 11th May 25: A cabinet meeting was conveyed here today at Main Secretariat to discuss various proposals with regard to the state. The meeting was attended by Dr Ampareen Lyngdoh, Minister, Urban Affairs, Municipal Administration, Labour, Zenith M Sangma, Minister, Sports & Youth Affairs, Housing, Excise etc, Rowell Lyngdoh, Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Water Resources, Soial & Water Conservation etc, H D R Lyngdoh, Minister, Transport, GAD, District Council Affairs etc and S Dhar, Minister, PWD (R), Home Guards & Civil Defence, Legal Metrology.

Later, Chief Minister talking to the press and media informed that though there were a number of proposals for consideration of the cabinet deliberated on the pressing agenda namely, Meghalaya Special Courts Amendments Bill 2015 and Meghalaya Local Administration (Empowerment of Traditional Institutions, Traditional Bodies, Headmen in Governance and Public Delivery System) Ordinance 2015. He informed that the government has been working on this issue to ensure that the involvement of the traditional institutions in the development programes of the government need to be given continuity to avoid dislocation of the time tested practice of the traditional institutions. He also said it was necessary to mandate these practices through enactment of law which gave legal empowerment to their active involvement in the day to day administration and public delivery system.

The Chief Minister also informed that the cabinet deliberated upon the details of the proposed ordinance to give effect to the ordinance with the spirit of empowering the traditional institutions. The proposed legislative measure through ordinance is specific for ensuring the involvement of the traditional bodies in respect of development programes of the government in the best interest of the people and the state he added.