New Delhi, Aug 20 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Harish Rawat has said that in order to meet the aspirations of large number of school drop outs, the Union Government has launched a new scheme “Skill Development Initiative” to train one million persons in the next five years and thereafter one million every year.

Rawat was speaking here today at the inaugural session of Global Skill Summit organized jointly by the Directorate General of Employment and Training and the Federation of the Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

He said that under the skill development initiative, demand-driven short-term courses based on modular employable skills are conducted to provide training in a wide range of employable areas.

“450 modular employable skill courses have already been developed under the scheme. The cost of training of the successful candidates is borne by the Central Government,” he said and hoped that this would meet the ever-increasing skill need for skilled personnel in the country.

Referring to the recently formulated “National Policy on Skill Development”, he said that this would provide opportunities for people in rural and hilly areas; border and difficult areas and also in the Naxal affected and remote areas of the country.

The Minister also mentioned the setting up of a “National Skill Development Corporation” under the Companies Act to support and guide private sector efforts in skill development.

He said that the Corporation should start the process of constituting sector skills councils for identification of skill development needs of various sectors of economy.

The two-day summit, amongst other issues, will discuss the Emerging Skill Development Challenges -Vision 2020, public-private participation in skill development, its role in poverty alleviation and sectoral demand for skill development. (ANI)