Even though all the portfolios have not been decided and the action programme is yet to be officially announced, the concerned departments have got the necessary signals; and an ambitious programme on rural thrust encompassing all the areas is being worked out.

What is special about this rural rejuvenation programme is the linking of skill development in the remote areas of the country with the massive employment programme. In other words, the second UPA government is set to empower the rural youth with e-skills and encourage them to contribute in the rural areas to job generation through entrepreneurial activities aided by the official agencies. The composite programme envisages big boost to manufacturing activities in rural areas since one job in manufacturing is set to create another three jobs in the related services sector. The marginal farmers will be finding their occupation profitable with a slew of measures vastly improving their income level.

The Government, after assessing the impact of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, is now working measures to expand the scheme with additional benefits. The social security programme, which has already been introduced, may be extended to all unorganised workers. Similarly credit, marketing and technological support for the tiny and micro sector in industry employing more than 104 million may be provided through a new agency such as National Fund for the Unorganised Sector on the lines of NABARD. These will be supplemented by other programmes covering health, education and poverty alleviation.

The Prime Minister is constantly harping on inclusive growth this time. The focus is on bringing the rural poor within the growth profile unlike the earlier tenure when the fruits of liberalisation of the economy bypassed the rural poor and the underprivileged. This will require change in the parameters of planning. And the new Planning Commission to be constituted shortly will be asked to lay stress on maximising employment in terms of quantity, quality and social development. Programmes will be implemented at the grassroots level with the collaboration of civil society and Panchayati raj institutions and collaboration between the states and the Centre.

The rural policy is expected to include programmes for agricultural diversification, agri processing and rural industrialisation. The new programme is expected to focus on implementation of tribal rights across the states and help the tribals in using forest produce like bamboo in a sustainable manner. In fact, there is a possibility that one of the first bills to be taken up include the one giving farmers a stake in industrial projects, the National Rehabilitation & Resettlement Bill, 2007 besides amendment of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

The entire rural rejuvenation programme will put emphasis on skill development among the rural youth. At the instance of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, the National Knowledge Commission has worked out a special programme for e-education in the rural areas. This will be the work of the new skill development ministry which is likely to be constituted under the new Government. The objective is to upgrade the skills of rural youth and set up some of the best industrial institutes in remote areas.

Already, the skill development programme is on as per the programmes of the first UPA government. But the latest proposal, quite ambitious, seeks to achieve the objective of creating high skilled jobs in rural areas. As per the earlier projection, some 92 million jobs are needed to be created during the eleventh plan period to achieve employment for all; and this new initiative will be an important component to fulfil the target.

Apart from the Government's initiative, the new proposal calls for intensive public-private sector partnership for setting up 1500 new ITIs and 50,000 skill development centres. The UPA government has already taken several initiatives on this front like the programme to train million persons annually. But once the new ministry is set up, it will be possible to expand the existing programme and incorporate fresh schemes. The national Skill Development Policy was approved only in February last year. This will be fine-tuned further and made more ambitious once the skills development ministry comes into being. (IPA)