Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje launches India's first skill training project in Jaipur

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has launched the country's first and biggest skills development project aimed at creating employment opportunities for the young people of the state.

The Union Government has proposed Rs. 398 crore for this livelihood skills project. The state government would impart modern skills for employment to one lakh rural youth under this project and then provide them jobs, in collaboration with the Union Ministry for Rural Development.

Asserting that this project would change lives of lakhs of young people of Rajasthan who could then get their dreams fulfilled, Vasundhara Raje said that the state government was committed to provide better employment opportunities through such skills development initiatives.

Stating that the year 2014 would be a turning point for the future of Rajasthan's youth, Raje said her government had set a target of connecting about 15 lakh youth to employment in next five years and this was the first solid step in that direction.

Reiterating her roadmap given in the State Budget, Raje said that the state government proposed amendments in the Labour Act, Factories Act etc. to create Rajasthan as a suitable habitat for creation of jobs.

Very soon, a Skills University too would be established in the state under the PPP mode, she informed.

The Chief Minister further welcomed the representatives of the PIAs coming from different parts of the country and hoped that these skill imparting agencies would train the young people of Rajasthan enabling them to get employment at national as well as global level.

State Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Gulab Chand Kataria said that connecting the skills of the people with employment was a big challenge before the state.

"The union government offered this ambitious and innovative project to Rajasthan to overcome this gap which would enable the youth to realize their dreams and scale new horizons," he said.

Rajasthan Skill and Livelihood Development Corporation (RSLDC) managing director Gaurav Goyal on Thursday signed agreements with representatives of 22 organisations selected as "Project Implementation Agencies" for skill training.

Among the PIAs which signed MoUs with RSLDC included Maharana Pratap Educational Centre, Manav Vikas Evum Seva Sansthan, A4E India, Nice Computers, Omni Soft Technology Pvt Ltd, Ideal Education Pvt Ltd, Indian Institute of Natural Resources Management etc.

The agencies would provide skill development training to one lakh rural youth, including 34,000 women, in all 33 districts of the state in 19 sectors such as garment marketing, retail, beauty culture, hospitality, banking and accounting etc.