Union Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Jal Shakti Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is also the National Democratic Alliance (NDA)’s candidate in Thiruvananthapuram for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, has pledged to turn the constituency into a skill capital.
Kick-starting his campaign a day after he arrived in Thiruvananthapuram, Mr. Chandrasekhar formally launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0 skilling programme for youth in Kerala here on Tuesday.
‘New MP’
The Minister of State, who referred to himself as “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new MP”, also provided a guarantee that there would not be a single youth in Thiruvananthapuram without skill and education in five years.
Lamenting the purported failure of the State capital to attain its potential as a tech hub, Mr. Chandrasekhar said, “Many people ask me in India and abroad about the dearth of factories, the inability to expand its tech hub and attract investments here.”
He also stressed the importance of talent and skill in attracting investments and on the potential of Thiruvananthapuram in attracting tech companies, including those specialising in semiconductors and cybersecurity.
He pointed out the Centre has been able to impart skill among 6.3 crore Indians during the last 6 years to chart a defining trend for the “new India”. In addition, the introduction of the National Education Policy has been instrumental in integrating skills into school education.
Delving into the country’s industrial growth, Mr. Chandrasekhar said iPhone maker Apple has doubled its production in the country and has created 1.3 lakh direct jobs within one year. Besides, the smartphone industry has grown leaps and bounds since 2014 when 98% of the local demand was met by imports. Currently, all smartphones used in the country have been manufactured locally. Besides, one lakh crore units are being exported.
Launched
PMKVY 4.0 is aimed at equipping 4 lakh youngsters in the State with industry-ready future skills within three years. Mr. Chandrasekhar also handed out job offers to Skill India candidates who have been placed in Germany through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). A language proficiency programme was also launched at the Thiruvananthapuram-based National Skill Training Institute.
Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; Trishaljit Sethi, Director General of Training; NSDC international director and chief operating officer Ajay K. Raina; National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology, Kozhikode, director Pratap Kumar S.; NXP Semiconductors vice president and India country manager Hitesh Garg and IBM India and South Asia managing director Sandip Patel also participated.
