Union govt. urged to increase support to States for skilling initiatives
Minister for General Education and Labour V. Sivankutty has urged the Union government to strengthen federal support for skilling ecosystems.
The Minister was taking part in the Kaushal Manthan regional workshop with southern States and Union Territories organised by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
Mr. Sivankutty articulated Kerala's commitment to advancing the national skilling agenda while calling for greater cooperative federalism and equitable central support at the meet, presided over by Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary and attended by Ministers from southern States, a statement from the Minister's office said.
The Minister sought continued support for the institutional framework created under the 'SANKALP' programme. He recommended structured incentives and national recognition frameworks to attract and retain talent in the training sector. The Union government was urged to put in place a system for recognising high-performing States in skill development and promoting cross-learning through knowledge exchange platforms.
The Minister requested the Union government's assistance in fast-tracking the setting up of a national-level Institute for Metro and Rail Technology in Kochi, financial support for the Indian Institute of Foreign Languages in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram for which MoUs have been signed, and support for positioning India as a global leader in AI skilling through the proposed centre of excellence in AI.
He expressed concern that in the past four years, Union government assistance to the State had been limited to PMKVY, SANKALP, PMNAPS and STRIVE schemes and called for equitable treatment of all States.
He proposed raising the Union government's contribution in ITI hub-and-spoke schemes from 50% to 80%.
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