Government would provide financial aid and loans to sea-farers to enable them get on-board training on foreign ships, a move that would help over 10,000 students annually, Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.
The government has launched this scheme as many sea-farers could not get on-board training due to lack of berths on Indian ships, he said in Lok Sabha while making a statement.
"Although there is enough capacity for classroom training for sea-farers, the efforts to train sea-farers have hit a roadblock in terms of the number of on-board training slots on ships. Today I am happy to announce that we have found a way forward.
"A scheme has been formulated to provide financial support to cadets who have completed their classroom training between 2010-2012, but not been able to get on-board ship training due to non-availability of training berths on Indian ships," he said.
For training on foreign-flagged ships, sea-farers would be eligible for reimbursement of 30 per cent of the cost of training with a maximum of Rs 3 lakh, which would be contributed by the Ministry and the students would not have to return this money.
Gadkari said the government would help cadets arrange the remaining 70 per cent of the cost through loans from financial institutions under Ministries of Social Justice, Tribal Affairs and Minority Affairs, as per their eligibility.
The cadets belonging to general category would also be facilitated for obtaining loan from nationalised banks to meet the cost, he said.
Over 3,000 students would benefit this year and their number would increase to 10,000 in the coming years, he said, adding they would earn about Rs 1.8 lakh salary and be a source of foreign currency to the country.
Noting that India has a strong reputation for providing quality human resources for the global shipping sector, he said that out of a total number of 12 lakh sea-farers, India's share was seven per cent.
"They not only enhance the image of India but also earn precious foreign exchange for the country. The effort of the government is to increase the country's share and help Indian citizens to acquire skills for gaining employment all over the world," he said.
