Honing 50 cr youngsters, labour ministry's target:Kharge

Centre pitches Rs 8,000 crore to train youngsters in five year plan

At a time when India is emerging as a nation of youth, with the tribe accounting for a majority of the population, how can the Central government remain in oblivion — without thinking of their welfare?

 Taking cognisance of the growing young blood, the Union ministry for labour has laid out a slew of projects to make them employable.

Union minister for labour and employment M Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday said the Centre intends to spend Rs 8,000 crore under the 12th Five Year Plan to hone the skills among the youth.

It includes plans to set-up 1,500 Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), 5,000 skill development centres and 15 regional centres.

The government has earmarked Rs 5,184 crore for skill development centres alone, the minister added.

In addition to this, 1,400 short-term courses to make youth employment-ready have also been planned under Vikasa Yojane. The courses will be offered by roping in non-governmental organisations (NGO) and reputed institutions.

The existing ITIs will be upgraded at the ratio of 50:50 by the Centre and state governments. Labour departments in states have been given a target to hone skills of 10 crore youth every year up to five years totalling 50 crore.

A proposal for a medical college in Bangalore under the labour ministry has been approved by the Medical Council of India (MCI), which is likely to be launched shortly. Students’ intake will be 100 for now, the minister said.

Digressing, to a question on a group of Lingayat legislators demanding anointment of a legislator from their community to the top post in Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), Kharge said everybody has a right to put forth a demand in a democratic set-up. Eventually, it will be the decision of the high command.

Straight talk

Mincing no words, Kharge said if the party wants to ascend seat of power, all leaders have to join hands as a force. He dismissed that the party has failed to hold reins, whenever a Dalit was at the helm of affairs in KPCC.

Kharge recalled that when the party had split in 1969, Indira Gandhi had elevated him to the post of Gulbarga district Congress president and N Dharam Singh general secretary.  Haven’t we been in politics for long?, shot back Kharge.