Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi felicitated candidates who successfully completed their course under the PMKVY and got job offers at the recently concluded Kaushal Mahotsav in Varanasi on Sunday. The Prime Minister was in the holy city to unveil a 63-feet tall statue of Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya at an event organised to inaugurate the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya Memorial Centre.

The Kaushal Mahotsav, a two-day diversified skill development festival, was organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in Varanasi on February 12 and 13. The event acted as a platform to showcase the government’s various skill development initiatives towards providing better and sustainable livelihood to the people of Uttar Pradesh as well as help candidates meet potential employers and understand the various opportunities for skilling and employment available to them. The event included a Kaushal Pradarshani (Skill Exhibition), Rozgar Mela (Job Fair) and distribution of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) certificates to individuals with prior learning experience or skilled under the skills introduced under RPL scheme. More than 125 leading organisations from 20 sectors including beauty and wellness, retail, agriculture, information technology, automobile, leather, hospitality, and more participated in the Mahotsav and offered job prospects to 1600 candidates. Companies like Vardhman, Carnival Cinemas, Biba Apparel, Barbeque Nation, Kotak, Café Coffee Day, Swiggy, Better Place, Vastu Estate came forward and hired candidates in job roles such as Sales Executive, Warehouse Executive, Retail Trainee Associate, Customer Service Beauty Therapist and more.

Expressing his views, Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Union Minister, MSDE, Government of India, said, “The country has a huge resource at its disposal. One that is properly used can ensure India becomes an economic superpower in the next few years. Towards this, a number of skill development initiatives have been introduce for the youth in Uttar Pradesh. The youth play an important role in development. They are the leaders of tomorrow, who will take the country to new heights. Varanasi’s youth have shown great potential and strong promise. We must ensure that we empower them with opportunities towards the Prime Minister’s vision of making India the skill capital of the world. The statue of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay will inspire many and will encourage the youth in the years to come.”

As part of the inauguration, the Prime Minister felicitated 35-year-old Rinki Pandey, from Gorakhpur is specially-abled and trained under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). Rinki received an offer letter from a reputed corporate, Better Place in the job role of Telecaller with a monthly salary of 16,500. Till date, Nearly 90 lakh candidates have been trained under PMKVY phase 1 and 2. Then there was 23-year-old Manvendra Singh, who trained at an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Fitter trade. During the Mahotsav, Manvendra was hired by Vastu Vihar, a real estate firm with a monthly salary of 10,000. Sameer Ahmad has also received training at an ITI in Karaundi for a job role of Computer Operator. He has also been hired by Better Place as a Recruiter with a monthly salary of 16,500.

Under the able leadership of honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Chief Minister of Gujarat in the past, the state has flourished and reached greater heights. The most elite education institutes and rich heritage are a part of the state today. Similarly, the government is taking a number of initiatives towards improving the skill development and job creation momentum in the country. Apart from the creation of a Cabinet Committee for Employment & Skill Development, there are a number of schemes that have been launched at every level. The government is creating an overarching integrated framework for initiating robust skill development systems and providing overall policy direction for skill development activities. In this direction, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the flagship scheme of the government, Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), apprenticeship and entrepreneurial training are empowering the youth and making them industry-relevant.

Organised by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Skill India’s Rozgar Melas have provided umpteen opportunities to job seekers to meet prospective employers and explore various employment opportunities, including entrepreneurship and apprenticeship. Nationally, 1440 rozgar melas have been organised from April 2018 till January 2020 in which nearly 5,40,000 candidates have registered and close to 2,40,000 have been shortlisted. In Uttar Pradesh itself, rozgar melas have been conducted in 65 districts.