Indian Railways launches Kaushal Vikas Yojana to impart skill training to youth, check other details

New Delhi: Indian Railways on Friday (September 17) launched Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana (RKVY) to impart skill training to youth from remote areas. Under this scheme, the ministry will also set up mobile skill training units to improve reach in remote areas, said Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

The Union Minister told ANI, “Indian Railways has launched Kaushal Vikas Yojana. Under this scheme, 50,000 children will receive skill training in remote areas. We will also be setting up mobile skill training units to improve our reach in remote areas.”

The move is to empower youth by providing them entry-level training in industry-relevant skills through railway training institutes as part of `Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav` commemorating 75 years of independence, according to Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.

Under the aegis of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the RKVY was launched today in Rail Bhavan. 

Speaking on the occasion, Vaishnaw said it is an auspicious day as Vishwakarma Jayanti is being celebrated across the country. He also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday and dedicated the RKVY as the gift of Railways to the prime minister.

Vaishnaw said, “The vision of skill development is an integral part of the vision of prime minister and 50,000 youths will be trained under RKVY. The aim of this initiative is to impart training skills to the youth in various trades to bring qualitative improvement.”

The minister also emphasised that training in remote areas will also be conducted under RKVY and stressed that the youths should enjoy the training process, wherein, 50,000 candidates will be trained over a period of three years in four trades of electrician, welder, machinist and fitter. 

The training programmes in other trades will be added by zonal railways and production units based on regional demands and needs assessment. It will be provided free of cost and participants will be selected from applications received online, following a transparent mechanism on the basis of marks in matriculation, the minister said.

Skill training under RKVY

The training will comprise initial basic training of 100 hours. The candidates who are 10th passed and between 18-35 years of age shall be eligible to apply. Participants in the scheme shall, however, have no claim to seek employment in Railways on the basis of this training.

Initially, the scheme is being launched for 1,000 participants and the apprentices will get the training under the Apprentice Act 1961. The scheme aims to improve the employability of the youth and upgrade the skills of self-employed and those who are working with contractors through re-skilling and up-skilling and contribute towards the Skill India Mission. 

The programme curriculum has been developed by Banaras Locomotive Works, the nodal PU for this scheme, which will also standardise assessments and maintain a centralised database of participants. 

(With Agency Inputs)

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