Addressing the Parliamentary Consultative Committee Meeting attached to her Ministry here today she said, the policy of liberalization and globalization in last nearly two decades has seen new heights of economic growth, but at the same time proliferation of the informal sector. She said the 11th Five Year Plan envisages inclusive growth. She said, National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) in its report on ‘Condition of Work and Promotion of Livelihoods in the Unorganized Sector’ has stated that 92.0% of the poor in the country work in the unorganized sector. This is more predominant in the urban areas.

Kumari Selja said, the National Sample Survey 61st Round result show that among persons of age 15-29 years, only about 2 % are reported to have received formal vocational training. She said another 8 % are reported to have received non-formal vocational training. This indicates that very few young persons actually enter the world of work with any kind of formal vocational training.

She said, projections indicate the emergence of a young India with 800 million in the productive age group by 2015 compared to 600 million in China. She said, there is an urgent need to match the skill of the working age population with the actual requirement of the market at the bottom of the pyramid. The Minister said, the mandate of her Ministry is inclusive pro-poor urban growth. She said, Skill Development Mission and the SJSRY are among the major initiatives of the Government to address the issues of urban employment with specific reference to skill development and employability.

During the meeting the members expressed concerns over the manner in which nationalized banks disburse the loans to beneficiaries under the schemes such as SJSRY. They said, there is much procedural delay and this condition has to be improved. They also emphasized on strengthening monitoring mechanism to give maximum advantage of the scheme to the women, poor and weaker sections of the urban society. They also emphasized to make training more effective for the beneficiaries under the SJSRY. Those who attended the meeting include Shri A.T. Nana Patil, Dr. Charles Dias, Shri Khiladilal Bairwa, Ch. Lal Singh, Shri P.C. Gaddigoudar, Shri P.T. Thomas, Shri Sripad Yesso Naik, Shri Virender Kashyap (All Lok Sabha); Shri S. Thangavelu (Rajya Sabha); Shri Ranbir Singh Prajapati (Permanent Special Invitee).