State mission: To impart skills to 4.5 crore people by 2022
As part of the Centre’s Skill India Mission, the state government has set the target of imparting various skills to at least 4.5 crore people by 2022 in a bid to enhance their employability.
In line with the Centre’s vision, the state government has also prioritised the Skill Development Mission. The Maharashtra State Skill Development Society (MSSDS) is the nodal agency for implementing all skill development-related programmes in the state.
To accomplish the mission, MSSDS was formed in 2011 under the chairmanship of the chief secretary. It works towards planning, coordination, execution and monitoring of skill development initiatives of the state. Skill development schemes of various departments of the state government will be integrated and implemented through the active coordination under the umbrella of this society.
“The key functions of the society are to prepare state-skill gap assessment report and skill development action plan; implement annual skill development plan; enrol public and private skill training providers; implement innovative skill development programmes; support counselling activities, awareness and guidance programmes for the workforce in the unorganised sector; arrange workshops and brainstorming session for the key stakeholders and form partnership with national and international agencies working in the field of skill development,” said a state official.
Skill development training to unorganised sector will play a significant role in addressing unemployment and contribute to growth in diverse sectors, he added.
According to state officials, Maharashtra has taken a lead in Centre’s Mudra Yojna where loan of up to Rs 10 lakh can be availed of without any guarantee. A special drive, ‘Skill Sakhi,’ has been launched to empower women economically. It will undertake skill development training as a step towards empowerment of women in diverse fields. On the occasion of World Youth Skills Day, new facilities of virtual and digital classrooms were also launched for the students of 32 ITIs across the state.