Now, a covid allowance in skill training ecosystem
- The ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship has issued an order stating 1.5% of the average training cost per trainee will be used for covid allowance
New Delhi: The Union government has approved a covid-19 allowance in the skills ecosystem that would be utilized for sanitation of training infrastructure and for safety protocol, and 1.5% of the training cost is likely to be used for this purpose amid rising cases.
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The issue was first discussed in November last year as institutions were re-opening after the situation started improving. Initially, the common norms committee of the government related to skills mission was of the view that “granting of 1-2% as covid allowance for sanitation requirements" is a feasible option.
The Union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship has decided that 1.5% of the average training cost per trainee will be used for covid allowance and it has got approval from the finance ministry.
“This matter has been examined and it has been decided that 1.5% of the average training cost per trainee for 3 months, or 1.5% of the hourly base cost rate (as applicable as per category of trade undergoing the training) may be allowed as covid allowance," an order of the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship has said. Mint has seen a copy of the order.
The covid allowance would be funded out of the grants already made available for training, and no additional funds can be demanded for incurring the expenditure, the ministry has said.
“This allowance should be discontinued once the need ceases," the skills ministry said in the order, adding that the allowance provision has the “concurrence of the department of expenditure, ministry of finance."
The Union government has rolled out the third phase of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 3.0) in January in 600 districts across the country with an expenditure target of ₹950 crore. The PMKVY 3.0 is likely to be extended for a longer period beyond its 2020-21-time frame with a larger fund allocation.
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Other than short-term skill training, the ministry oversees the long-term skilling via over 12,000 industrial training institutes (ITIs).
While the 729 Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) have started training sessions under the third phase, the ministry is in the process of hundreds of empanelled training centres by private partners of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), and more than 200 ITIs will launch PMKVY 3.0 training.
This time the focus is on demand-driven skills instead of supply-driven ones, as was the practice for the last six years. The district administrations will play a bigger role in deciding training demand, job matching and quality monitoring unlike before when everything was top-down.
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