• Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched ‘Customized Crash Course Programme for COVID-19 frontline workers’ through video conferencing on June 18.

• The training programme would be conducted in 111 training centres in over 26 states.

• The programme aims to skill and upskill about one lakh frontline health workers across the country.

• The training will be imparted to them in six customised job roles. 

They are:

• Home care support

• Basic care support

• Advanced care support

• Emergency care support

• Sample collection support

• Medical equipment support. 

• The programme has been designed as a special programme under the central component of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0, with total financial outlay of Rs 276 crore.

• The programme will create skilled non-medical healthcare workers to fill the present and future needs of manpower in the health sector.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

• The first version of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme was launched in 2015 to encourage and promote skill development in the country by providing free short duration skill training and incentivising this by providing monetary rewards to youth for skill certification.

• The overall idea was to boost employability of youth corresponding to the industrial demand.

• After the successful implementation of PMKVY (2015-16) and learnings from the past, PMKVY 2.0 (2016-20) was launched by scaling up sectors, geographies and by greater alignment with other missions/programmes of government of India such as ‘Make in India’, ‘Digital India’ and ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’. 

• PMKVY 2.0 provided a larger role to the state governments by introducing Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM) known as the state component under the scheme. 

• Placement-linked short term training programme was also introduced along with training of trainers and Aadhaar based attendance system.

• Based on the learnings of PMKVY 2.0 and to reorient the scheme to be in sync with the present scenario of policy changes and changing priority in different sectors, it was decided to speed up the implementation of PMKVY 3.0.

Highlights of PMKVY 3.0

• The ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship under Skill India Mission launched the third phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 3.0) on January 15, 2021 to train eight lakh people across the country with an outlay of Rs 948.90 crore. 

• The basic premise for the scheme is to create a skilled and certified workforce, who not only contribute towards the growth of India but also drive the country into becoming the global skills capital. 

• The scheme is aligned to Common Cost Norms and National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF).

The objectives of the scheme are to:

• Create an ecosystem for the youth to make informed choices on the available skilling avenues.

• Provide support to youth for skill training and certification.

• Promote sustainable Skill Centres for greater participation of the private sector.

How is the scheme being implemented?

This scheme has two components:

• Centrally Sponsored Centrally Managed (CSCM) known as the central component to be implemented by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).

• Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM) known as the state component implemented by the State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs)/respective departments of the states/UTs.

• Under the scheme, the District Skill Committee (DSC) shall be the focal point for its implementation. DSC shall have a major role in preparation of district level plan, mobilisation and counselling of candidates, formation of training batches, monitoring of quality assurance & post training support. 

• Total target of the scheme will be divided approximately in the ratio of 75:25 between central and state components respectively.

• However, states having performed well and willing to take higher targets shall be allocated accordingly based on assessment of their performance.

Skill training will be imparted into three categories.

1) Short Term Training (STT): The training under the STT courses generally range between 200-600 hours (2 to 6 months). School/college dropouts or unemployed youth of Indian nationality shall benefit from the scheme. Successfully certified candidates shall be provided  placement/entrepreneurship/apprenticeship assistance.

2) Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): It enables Indian youth to obtain industry-relevant skill certification. Individuals with prior learning experience or skills can register themselves and get assessed and certified under the RPL component of the scheme. RPL mainly focuses on the individuals engaged in unregulated sectors. The duration of the training/orientation under RPL ranges between 12-80 hours.

3) Special Projects: This component is meant for projects that require some deviation from the terms and conditions of Short-Term Training under PMKVY depending on special needs in terms of geography, demography and social groups. Special Projects component envisages training in special areas and/or premises of government institutions, corporates or industry bodies, and training pertaining to special job roles.

PMKVY 3.0 shall supplement the support of various schemes being run by the central and state governments, including but not limited to:

• National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)

• MUDRA loans under Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana (PMMY)

• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM) / Deendayal

• Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM)

• Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

• Other similar programmes that have goals similar to PMKVY 3.0 for generation of livelihood opportunities for the candidates trained under the scheme.

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