Modi did launch programmes that can reach immediate benefits to poor and unemployed. Skill Development is one such programme, but this was not implemented with that zeal and sincerity it should have deserved. Rather much publicity and aggressiveness was shown towards implementing Make in India and Digital India and for attracting foreign direct investments. If Skill Development programme was implemented in real earnest, millions of unemployed youth across the country could have been trained in a short span of time. This could have instilled confidence in them and helped them to get job or become entrepreneurs.

Government’s own study shows that in the global map only 2.3% of the workforce in India has undergone formal skill training as compared to 96% in South Korea, 80% in Japan, 75% in Germany, 68% in UK and 52% in US. One can easily realize the situation where a country with more than 62% of its population in the working age group of 15 to 59 years is unable reap this demographic dividend – the only reason being is that only 2.3% of its workforce is actually skilled. India is likely to lose its competitiveness in the global market if it does not take up skilling of its workforce on a war footing in the backdrop of countries across the world, particularly, the developed economies, are having ageing population.

The study has identified as many as 24 sectors were skill gaps exists and has estimated that an incremental 109.7 million skilled people will be required by 2022. Out of identified sector, top 10 like construction and real estate, retail, transport and logistics, beauty and wellness, furniture and furnishing, tourism and hospitality, textile and clothing, handlooms and handicraft, domestic help and private security services account for about 80% of the requirements. Other areas where there is acute shortage of skilled force are electronic and IT hardware, food processing, vocational education, auto and auto components, healthcare, leather and leather goods, gems and jewellery, construction material and building hardware, IT and ITES, telecommunications, pharma and life sciences, BFSI, media and entertainment and agriculture.

Apart from these that are several caste-based traditional livelihood in the country that need to be upgraded through adequate skill development for meeting the needs of the modern market. Skill development should be for both educated unemployed and uneducated self-employed. The government can reach out to poor people through this programme and the beneficiaries can seek employment either in the country or abroad or become entrepreneurs. The government can engage the Railways, public sector undertakings (PSUs), private sector, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the Skill Development programme.

Prime Minister Modi has recognized “Personal Sector” apart from the public and private sector that needs adequate attention. Then what stops him from doing enough for the “personal sector”?

The launch of the Micro Units Development and Refinance Agency - MUDRA Bank – is a laudable effort. It is designed to refinance loans needed by estimated 5.7 crore entrepreneurs in the unorganized sector and 24 crore families. The target in this financial year is to extend Rs 1.2 lakh crore to 1.25 crore borrowers. There are three are three categories for financing, namely Sishu (upto Rs 50,000), Kishore (Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh) and Tarun (Rs 5 lakh to 10 lakh). MUDRA Bank will also act as a regulator of micro-finance institutions (NFIs) and non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) to keep their rates of interest reasonably low.

However, not much publicity has been made to reach the people at the grassroots level. But the government claims that till date Rs 24,000 crore loans have been disbursed to 37 lakh beneficiaries.

Another people orient scheme is Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana under which each Member of Parliament can adopt and develop model villages in his/her constituency. They can make use of identified 223 schemes of the central government and a number of schemes of state governments besides they can make use of MP Area Development Fund to foster development of model villages. But how many of MP from BJP have undertaken this effort with sincerity? PM Modi has been aggressive is setting up of 100 smart cities and other port cities in the country. He and the party president Amit Shah should also ask their party leaders to work for setting up of model villages.

It is appreciable that the Modi government has retained the erstwhile government’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme. But this should be further modified for creation durable assets in rural areas. Government should facilitate setting up of agro-based industries in rural areas by local unemployed youths, including small agri input business and rural godowns. Grain banks should be set up in cluster of villages for procurement, storage and distribution of foodgrains in local areas.

In today’s world liberalization of the economy and market-based approach has become a necessity for growth. But economic growth should be inclusive and alleviate poverty. Therefore focus should be given for people-oriented programmes and creation adequate social security and safety nets for the poor. Farmers should get adequate return for their produces. Unemployed rural youth should be facilitated for setting up markets linking villages to cities.

Modi government should, therefore, focus on skill development, easy loans to the unemployed and setting up of model villages and other people-oriented programmes that cut across caste barriers and keeping in mind ‘Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas’ if the ruling BJP at the Centre intends to do well in the forthcoming elections to state legislatures in Assam, Punjab, UP and in other states. (IPA Service)