Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy said that the ambitious task of providing employment to 15 lakh youths under Rajiv Yuva Kiranaalu would be achieved in spite of the formative difficulties and criticism. “We made an aggressive
start of the programme. We made a very good beginning. There are some hurdles which we have to overcome. There was criticism without understanding the programme. I take positive note of it. We will try to fine tune the programme. However, we are marching ahead to achieve the target”.
The Chief Minister was delivering the inaugural address at the National Workshop on ‘Skill development: Opportunities and Challenges’ organised by the Rajiv Education & Employment Mission in Andhra Pradesh (REEMAP) at Jubilee Hall, here on Friday. The Chief Minister said the ultimate aim was to find jobs for the unemployed educated
youth by providing them suitable employment. He said the Rajiv Yuva Kiranaalu programme was aimed at finding solution to the unemployment programme. He said advised the officials to suitably mould the training and skill development programme for the benefit of youth.
Kiran Kumar Reddy said that another area was to identify future jobs that may be available in the next 10 years and suitably amend the curriculum so that the youth coming out of different courses should be made employable. “We also have to plan the training and still upgradation in line with the prospective jobs. We want suggestions from experts
on this. We started with skill upgradation and employment. Next we have to move on to skill upgradation and self-employment,” he said.
Kiran Kumar Reddy said that Andhra Pradesh was one State encouraging education in a big way. The State Government was spending Rs 3,500 crore on scholarships and fee reimbursements in one year now. He said the State Government would be spending Rs 774 crs on skill upgradation this year. “We have to now concentrate on rural areas. There
are lots of opportunities in Animal Husbandry, Horticulture and other similar sectors in the rural areas.
The Chief Minister said the power shortage is adversely affecting the industrial sector
in the State. He said 8000 MW of gas-based power projects are now lying idle because
there is no supply of gas. Power is most essential for industries and agriculture. The
Central Government has to do something about it. “The other day I went to a hostel. A
girl requested for generator (since there is power cut) so that she can study in the night”.
Adviser to Prime Minister, National Council on Skill Development, S Ramadorai in
his keynote address said “Andhra Pradesh has been a well performing State in skill
development, and the other States have a lot to learn from you. I see the priorities being
driven right from the top, and being executed well on the ground. The State has followed
a clear employment target based approach aiming to provide 15 lakh jobs by 2014-15
through the Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu Scheme. It has also put in a place a clear institutional
structure at the State level that achieves convergence of department level efforts and is
then linked to the structures at the district level to get inputs directly from “ground zero”.
Major Industries Minister Dr J Geetha Reddy, Secondary Education Minister K
Parthasarathy and other senior officials attended the meeting. (INN)
