PSEs are also taking innovative steps to cater to their own requirement of skilled manpower and at the community level. Setting up of Mega Skill Institutes by Oil and Gas PSEs and Multi Skill Centre for providing skill training in different States for power, coal and new renewable energy sector to train unemployed youths of backward regions at Talcher, Odisha are among them.

In its MoU, CIL has committed to promote special education enhancing vocational skills. The target is to train 1 lakh workers of CIL and 1.7 lakh persons from contract workers, youths and women in operational areas. REC has earmarked Rs 10 crore while Powergrid has committed to contribute 6.5 crore for skill development programmes. REC’s initiative will benefit around 6400 persons from backward rural areas of Central and Eastern India including Bihar. REC also funded Rs.2 crore for trainings of 500 educated SC/ST/OBC women and Economically Weaker Sections of society in backward districts of Madhya Pradesh. The funds will be utilized for setting up a ‘one-of-its-kind’ Skill Development Centre in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh for providing residential, free-of-cost, job oriented skill development trainings. Similarly, NTPC Limited has made commitment of Rs 30 crore for skilling 25,000 youths. A Multi Skill Centre at NTPC Talcher, Kaniha in Angul District of Odisha is being set up to prepare people of these backward regions/area more skillful, industry ready so that they can lead a better and dignified life.

Training and Skill Development of human resources have always been an important and integral area of PSEs Management. They have placed major thrust on Human Resource Development as a strategy to achieve growth with social justice. Accordingly, many PSEs have set up their own Institutions for providing technical and enhancing Skill Development requirements. RCF has well established Corporate Management Development Centre, IOCL has IndianOil Institute of Petroleum Management, NTPC has Power Management Institute, NHPC has HRD Centre for Excellence, BHEL has Advanced Training Centre at Trichy, THDC has hydro-power Engineering College at Tehri Project to meet future requirements of skilled manpower/technical graduates in sustainable manner.

Further realizing that a workforce skilled in the latest technological and managerial competencies is essential for living success of any organization, and a skilled manpower at community Level is an asset for the country’s economy, PSEs have rolled out Skill Development programmes for their owns employees and community levels.

Oil industry has taken the lead to setup Skill Development Institutions to be co- promoted by Oil & Gas PSEs, both in the upstream and downstream sectors. The first such world class institute is planned to be set up by IndianOil at Bhubaneswar, Odisha with the objective of creating a pool of certified skilled technicians to meet requirement of the industry. Setting up of Mega Skill Development Institutes by other major Oil PSEs have also been planned with the lead company bearing the maximum chunk of the expenditure. Bharat Petroleum Corporation has volunteered to set up Skill Development Institute at Kochi. HPCL runs a programme ‘Swavalamban’ to enhance employability amongst youths for under privileged society. Over 15,000 youths across India have been trained in fuel retailing.

Corporate Management Development Centre and Training Institute of Rashtriya Chemicals &Fertilizers (RCF) has been established for continuously grooming employees facilitates and skill updation. It provides training to Apprentices under the Act and also provides in–plant training/ project guidance facilities to engineering graduates/ diploma holders from various colleges all over the country.

Steel sector major, SAIL has provided vocational training to around 44,000 people in and around SAIL Plants/units in the last three years. SAIL has also set up an Industrial Training Institute at its Gua Ore Mines facility in Jharkhand. Another is coming up at Samastipur, Bihar. People living in the areas around of SAIL's plants and units are taught skills to help them to earn a living. These programmes promote rural savings and credit, natural resource management, village infrastructure development, increased agricultural productivity through better management of resources and intensive cropping, and skill development.

With the support of PSEs, Odisha has planned Rs 1,050 crore for ITIs and skill development centres for imparting training to rural youths. While the Central Government and its PSEs have committed to spend Rs 660 crore, the state government would spend remaining Rs 390 crore in the project.

PSEs have been bringing about radical transformation in the life of the population of rural India. But the task is gigantic as India has about six lakh villages with over eighty crore people i.e. about 65 percent of population lives in villages. Challenges are also many. From employability to motivation and demand based training to placement. Increasing dropouts and disgruntled rural youths pose big challenge. There is, therefore, need to have an integrated effort by the Central and State Governments, PSEs, Private Corporates and SMEs for Skill Development for enhancing rural economy which holds the key for sustainable economic growth of the country. (IPA Service)