PANAJI: Funds allocated and received by the Goa government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet 'Skill India' project have been lying idle, sources in the administration said.
Goa has been allocated Rs 72 crores under the PMKVY (Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana) of which nearly Rs 11 crores have already come into the State coffers but not a single rupee has been spent on the scheme meant to train and skill certify youth in industry-relevant skills and ensure gainful employment.The State government through its directorate of Craftsment Training is the nodal agency to implement the Central scheme and has prepared a plan to designate 10 government and 4 private Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) as training centres.
But for some undisclosed reasons, not a single youth has been trained although funds for it have already been disbursed and are lying idle, the source said. Funds were received by the State government in two installments, the first in 2017 of about Rs 7-crores and the second installment came in about two months ago.
Under the scheme, nearly Rs 14,000 is stipulated to be spent on short-term training of each trainee with those with zero formal education or training being the target group. For those with prior education or learning, the scheme envisages short-duration training for certifying their 'prior learning.' It also takes care of placement assistance.
Oddly, while money from the central scheme is lying unutilized, the State government is proposing to set up two skill centres of its own, one each in North and South districts.
A tender inviting 'request for proposals' from private parties was floated by the Directorate of Craftsmen Training in May last inviting proposals from private parties to set up these Skill Centres at a cost of Rs 15-crores each.
The proposal envisages the Skill Centre in South Goa to target skills and trades in youth required for the shipping industry, oil rigs and the like. For the Centre in North Goa, it is proposed to target training manpower for jobs that are expected to be generated in the aviation industry as well as airport ground operations by the upcoming Mopa International Airport Project.
