On the Job Training : a Vindication

 

Context :

Budget 2023: PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 To Provide On-Job Training, Industry 4.0 Skills To Youth  

Extract :

The Centre will launch Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 to skill lakhs of youth in the next three years

The scheme will focus on :

#   on-job training,

#   industry partnership

#   alignment of courses with the needs of industries

It will also provide new-age courses for Industry 4.0 such as :

#   coding,

#   artificial intelligence,

#   robotics,

#   mechatronics,

#   IoT,

#   3D printing,

#   drone, and

#   other soft skills

 

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2023-24 speech said that the Centre will launch Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 to skill lakhs of youth in the next three years.

The Indian youth-focussed scheme will focus on on-job training, industry partnership and alignment of courses with the needs of industries.

It will also provide new-age courses for Industry 4.0 such as coding, artificial intelligence, robotics, mechatronics, IoT, 3D printing, drone, and other soft skills. 

 

Centre to launch PMKVY 4.0, set up 30 skill IICs, FM announces in Budget 2023

Extract :

" To empower youth and help them realise their dream, PMKVY 4.0 will be launched to skill lakhs of youths within the next three years," said the Minister adding that 30 Skill India International Centres will also be opened across the states.

With an aim to make India a skill capital of the world and improve mobility of skilled manpower, the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) International has been set up, which aims to create a network of institutions across India, said the Economic Survey released on Sunday

It said that this network of institutions will be called the Skill India International (SII) Network. It shall be created through the empanelment of state-of-the-art government and private institutions.

ET Print Issue / 02 Feb 2023

“ This platform will enable demand-based formal skill training, link eligible candidates with employers including MSME and facilitate access to entrepreneurship schemes “, Sitharaman said.

The FM also said that the government will provide stipend support to 4.7 million ( 47 lakh ) youth in three years through Direct Benefit Transfer, for which a pan-India National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme ( NAPS ) will be rolled out

Between FY 17 and FY 23 ( as of Jan 05, 2023 ), about 11 million persons have been trained under PMKVY 2.0 , 83 % certified and about 2.14 million placed, as per the Economic Survey

 

MY  TAKE :

 

I am happy that the Government has accepted suggestion made in my following earlier e-mail :

Ø  Universal Basic Income …………………………[ 20 Jan 2017 ]

 

Extract :

WHAT WOULD BE THE RIGHT APPROACH ?

*  Right approach would be : " Do not give fish to a hungry man / teach him how to fish "

 In short , empower them to earn their own living by teaching them " Skills " and by

 gaining " Experience " in use of those skills

ENTIRE COST OF THIS " SKILLING " AND " EXPERIENCING " TO BE BORNE BY THE GOVERNMENT , TILL

 EACH TARGETED POOR / UNEMPLOYED PERSON , EITHER GETS GAINFULLY EMPLOYED OR BECOMES

 SELF-EMPLOYED

Should he choose to become Self-Employed ( by registering as a " Start Up " ), exempt

 him from paying Personal Income Tax for next 10 years

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW TO TRANSLATE THIS " SELF HELP " CONCEPT INTO PRACTICE ?

 

Divide the implementation in following 3 phases

*    Empowering - 3 years ( Imparting Skills in Industrial Training Institutes )

 

*    Experiencing - 3 years ( Providing experience in Ind / Commercial Establishments )

 

*    Self-dependence Phase ( Working in a gainful job or as Self Employed )

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WHAT SKILLS WILL GET PROVIDED IN ITI ?

 

Entire range of Manufacturing Industry related skills being currently imparted plus a

whole host of commercial skills required by E Commerce / Fintech / Agriculture Processing

 / Payment Banks / Service Sector / BPO / Telecom and other emerging sectors

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW SHALL WE MOTIVATE UNEMPLOYED YOUTH TO JOIN ITIs ?

* Each trainee will receive Rs 1000 pm ( for course duration of 3 years )

  This amount will get deposited in Jan Dhan bank account of trainee ( DBT )

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW CAN WE GET PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION IN THIS PHASE ?

*  If a Private firm or individual comes forward to set up such a Training Institute ,

   #  Treat it as an Infrastructure SPV

   #  No questions asked as to the source of funds for setting up such ITI

       {  a kind of Amnesty Scheme to convert Black Money into White Money  }

   #  A government grant of Rs 1,000 pm per trainee to such SPV ( DBT in Bank A/C )

 

If this is done , expect 10,000 SPVs to come up within one year and 10 million youth to

get  trained each year !

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW CAN WE GET INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENTS TO PROVIDE

EXPERIENCE TO  TRAINEES PASSING OUT OF ITIs ?

 

*  Amend Apprenticeship Act

*  Allow all Industrial and Commercial Establishments to engage ANY NUMBER of

   apprentices ( without upper limit ) , for a period of 3 years

*  Starting stipend = Min of Semi-Skilled wages ( currently , approx Rs 6,000 pm )

*  Annual Increment = 5 %

*  Establishment to pay 75 % of stipend

*  Government to pay 25 % of stipend ( DBT into Jan Dhan account of the Apprentice )

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW CAN WE ENSURE A " LEAKAGE PROOF " DISBURSEMENTS OF DBT AMOUNTS ?

*    Through implementation of Mobile based Attendance System , outlined in my blog,

   " From BAD to MAD "  

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HOW WILL MY SUGGESTION HELP ?

*  It will solve the problem of poverty organically / permanently

 

*  It will prevent " Dependency Culture " ( looking up to Sarkar Maa Baap for everything )

 

*  It will enable poor to retain their " Self Respect / Dignity "

 

*  The money spent by government will create highly productive " Human Assets "

 

*  It will overcome the " Skills Shortages " experienced by the Economy

 

*  It will create gainful " Self Employment " for millions of poor

 

*  It will make India , a " Low Cost Economy " , able to export its goods and services

 

*  It will channelize Black Money into a " Nation Building " exercise

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WILL GOVERNMENT IMPLEMENT MY SUGGESTION ?

 

*  Very unlikely  !

    By handing out freebies and thereby keeping poor " dependent on dole "  forever  ,

    politicians assure themselves of permanent " Vote Banks " !

       If all those currently enjoying " Reservations " ( of umpteen types ) were to become

    " meritorious " and start earning Rs 50,000 per month , they would not care a bit for

    those " Reservations " !

 

    And if people stop caring for reservations , what " cause " can politicians espouse ?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dear  Shri  Narendrabhai Modiji ,

I request you to ponder on my suggestion in light of the following quote of another

Narendra ( Swami Vivekanand ) :

 

" Education, education, education alone !

 

Travelling through many cities of Europe and observing in them the comforts and education of even the poor people, there was brought to my mind the state of our own poor people, and I used to shed tears.

 

What made the difference ?  Education was the answer I got.

 

Through education comes faith in one's own Self, and through faith in one's own Self the inherent Brahman is waking up in them.^{[Source] "}

 

With Regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  02 Feb 2023

===========================

 

Related Readings :

2013 ( 1 )

Rejoice You Jobless ! …………………………………………[ 03 Sept 2013 ]

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2015 ( 2 )

Make in India is Skilling India…………………………..[ 17 July 2015 ]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2016 ( 3 )

Skill Capital of the World ? ……………………………[ 06 June 2016 ]

Harness " Greed " to " Skill India "……………….[ 19 June 2016 ]

From  BAD to  MAD …………………………………..  [ 01 June  2016 ]

 

2017 ( 3 )

No mere Relief : A Game Changer   ……………[  20  Dec  2017  ]

Discovering the Obvious ? ………………………….[  30  Nov  2017  ]

Universal Basic Income   …………………………….[ 20  Jan  2017  ]

 

2018  ( 2 )

Starting a Virtuous Circle …………………………………[17 Dec 2018 ]

Of Interns and Apprentices ………………………………[ 07 Jan 2018 ]

 

 

2019  ( 4 )

Thank You, Prakashbhai ( Javadekarji ) ……………………..[ 03 Apr 2019 ]

Congratulations , Anilbhai Naik ……………………………………[ 08 Feb 2019 ]

Organizing the Unorganized ………………………………………….[ 04 Feb 2019 ]

Paralyzed by Policy Revisions ? …………………………………….[ 27 Mar 2019 ]

 

 

2020  ( 3 )

Human Resource Capital of the World ? …………………….....[ 23 Nov 2020 ]

Congratulations, Shri Ajit Pawar / Shri Nawab Malik ……..[ 06 Mar 2020 ]

Congratulations, TATA………………………………………………………[ 27 Dec 2020 ]

 

 

2021  ( 4 )

ApprenticeShip : Unanchored and ready to sail ? ………….[ 08 Feb 2021 ]

National Skills University : Virtual is the only way……….. [ 03 Apr 2021 ] – links to 64 other E-Mails

Small Steps for Small Firms ? Not enough………………………[ 07 Mar 2021 ]

Gaining Ground : Virtually ………………………………………………[ 01 Mar 2021 ]

 

 

2022 ( 5 )

Apprenticeship : Half Way house ? ………………………………. [ 29 Mar 2022 ]

Skilling 300 Million ? Here is a way, Shri Pradhanji ……..[ 29 June 2022 ]

Skilling for World ? Here is why – how ! ………………………..[ 30 May 2022 ]

Apprentices : Hire Any Number without paying Wages ? [ 28 Jan 2022 ]

 

Thank You, Shri Dharmendra Pradhanji …………………………[ 02 July 2022 ]

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Minimum Wages to Living Wages

 

Context :

Labour ministry weighs shift from minimum to 'living' wages   …ET / 29 Dec 2022

 

Extract :

 

India is considering shifting from the minimum wage to living wages to pull millions of people out of poverty.

While it can have huge financial implications for India Inc and the government as a living wage is indexed to inflation, the move could be a game changer for the country as it strives to meet its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) commitment of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030.

Highlights :

 

Line of Support  :

 

#   Shift to living wages can help reduce extreme poverty by 2030

#   Difference between the two could be 10 – 25 %

#   Move could have huge financial implications

#   India has 228.9 million poor people as per MPI

#   The idea is yet to get a political backing

#   Living wages are based on Cost of Living

 

A living wage is defined as the minimum income necessary for workers to meet their basic needs compared to subsistence wage or minimum wage which is based on labour productivity and skill sets

India could seek ILO help to arrive at living wages if the idea gets a political backing

 

 

My  Take  :

 

Such an initiative is long overdue but, after arrival of COVID , it has assumed urgency

In our country, as in the rest of the world, INCOME DISPARITIES are increasing – which in turn, result in WEALTH DISPARITIES

Some 3 % of our population control 90 % of our wealth

Taxing the rich ( at a much higher rate than the current rates ), can get the government, a few thousand crores ( Rs ) additional revenue

But that would be “ neither here nor there “ . It will not help the poor to meet the ever-rising “ Cost of Living “

Nor is introduction of an UBI ( Universal Basic Income ) , a viable proposition

There are many problems associated with finding a proper linkage between :

Ø  Cost of Living , and

Ø  Living Wage

 

“ Cost of Living “ varies vastly depending upon following factors :

Ø   City – District – State

Ø   Population Density

Ø  Intensity of Industrialization / Agriculture

Ø  Time of the Year ( Seasonal fluctuations )

Ø  Education Level of concerned citizen

Ø  Skill concentration of people

Ø  Size of family of the poor people

Ø  Distribution of “ Employed “ vs “ Self Employed “

Just because a problem is very complex, must NOT produce an  “ACTION PARALYSIS “

I hope that , in her Budget Speech , day after tomorrow, Smt Sithaaramanji , make an announcement in this direction – at least , a “ Declaration of Intention “

I urge her to fix a target date ( 02 Oct 2023 – Gandhiji’s birthday ), to come out with a DRAFT PROPOSAL for introduction of LIVING WAGE for India’s poor

She would NOT be able to announce such a FAR REACHING reform in her Feb 2024 budget speech, since with forthcoming General Elections ( by March 2024 ? ), it would be a “ Lame Duck “ budget

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh 

hcp@RecruitGuru.com / 30 Jan 2023 ( Bapu’s Nirvana Diwas )

Exporting Apps / Stacks ?

 

 

Better late than Never

 

Context :

Seven countries to sign up for India Stack's digital public goods    /  ET   /  25  Jan  2023

Extract :

As many as seven countries will sign up to use India Stack's digital public goods, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, union minister of state for electronics and information technology, told us.

These agreements will be signed at the World Government Summit that will be held from February 13 to 15 in Dubai where more than 140 countries are expected to participate.

Sources said these countries are mainly interested in DigiLocker, a secure cloud-based platform for storing, sharing and verifying documents. About 14.4 crore Indians have used the platform so far.

Other platforms on offer are foundational identity programmes like ,

Ø  the Modular Open Source Identity Platform ( MOSIP ),

Ø  Instant real time payments system Unified Payments Interface ( UPI ),

Ø  Covid vaccination platform CoWIN ,  and

Ø  Health Stack.

 

Some countries have also expressed interest in,

Ø  Digital Infrastructure for Knowledge Sharing ,  and

Ø  National Digital Education Architecture. 

A source told us, "Singapore, France and Dubai have already announced plans to use UPI while other countries are in talks to do so. We have offered UPI to all central banks around the world."

India’s digital initiatives and the country’s progress on building digital public goods have been extraordinary, Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said during his keynote address at the Microsoft Future Ready Leadership Summit in Mumbai on January 3.

“One of the things that is amazing to see is India’s lead when it comes to digital public goods… There's India and then there is daylight, when it comes to the enlightened way,” he added.

 

My  Take :

 

I had envisaged this in my following e-mail :

Ø  VotesApp ……………………………[ 18 Dec 2012 ]

 

Extract :

 

Here is a suggestion to IIT-Bombay , to develop a voting app , to be called  VotesApp . Highlights of VotesApp : ……………..

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

        What next  ?  Election Commission “ licensing “ this App to other countries ?

 

With regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  28  Jan  2023

Gas Chamber

 

 

Today is 27 Jan 2023 , and it is 7:30 in the morning

 

I look out of my 9th floor window to see smog enveloping Vile Parle / Andheri

 

Newspapers tell me that , air-pollution wise, Mumbai has become worse than Delhi. I realize that I am living inside a GAS CHAMBER

 

I am 89 - and do not have many years left to worry about the fact that this Gas Chamber is accelerating my end

 

But I do worry about my grown-up children ( who cannot leave their businesses in Mumbai ), and about my grand-children who are self-employed here

 

At 89, beyond worrying, there is not much else that I can do , except request the much younger citizen of this great city ( the financial capital of India ), to get together and prepare / submit a " CITIZEN's CHARTER of DEMAND " to the political parties , telling them in clear terms :

 

 

" Dear Neta,

 

Enclosed find a list of very sharply worded / specific / time-bound , ACTIONS that we ask you to commit to .

 

In the forthcoming General Elections ( Feb 2024 ), we will vote only for that party which includes these ACTIONS in its Election Manifesto "

 

 

Dear Fellow Mumbaigars,

 

 

You have always taken a lead and set an example to the rest of the country.

 

Please rise to protect the health of your children / grand-children .

 

Prepare that CHARTER of DEMAND and demand accountability from our political leaders .

 

For a change, let us lead them !

 

As to specific ACTIONS to include in that CHARTER, please look up :

 

Climate Conundrum ?.................. [ 10 Oct 2018 ]

 

 

 

With Regards,

Hemen Parekh

hcp@RecruitGuru.com  /  27  Jan  2023