Budget 2023: 47 lakh youth to be given direct benefit transfer under pan India Apprenticeship Programme

New Delhi [India], February 1 (ANI): Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during her budget speech on Wednesday, announced the roll-out of Direct Benefit Transfer under a pan-India National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme to provide stipend support to 47 lakh youth in three years.

She further said that the digital ecosystem for skilling will be further expanded with the launch of a unified Skill India Digital platform. Elaborating on the platform, she said it would enable demand-based formal skilling, link with employers including Micro and Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and will facilitate access to entrepreneurship schemes.

To skill youth for international opportunities, 30 Skill India International Centres will be set up across different States, the Finance Minister said.

In the budget speech in Parliament the Union Finance Minister also focussed on the education sector and said that the Centre will recruit 38,800 teachers and support staff for the 740 model Eklavya Model Residential Schools serving 3.4 lakh tribal students.

Sitharaman said that teachers’ training will be re-envisioned through innovative pedagogy, curriculum transaction, continuous professional development, dipstick survey and ICT implementation. She added that the District Institutes of Education and Training will be developed as vibrant institutes of excellence for this purpose.

The Finance Minister also announced that the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 will be launched to skill lakhs of youth within the next three years. Under the yojana industry partnership, and alignment of courses with the needs of the industry will be emphasised.

The scheme will also cover new age courses for industry 4.0 like coding, AI, robotics, mechatronics IoT, 3D printing drones and other soft skills to skill the youth for international opportunities. She also announced that to skill youth for international opportunities, 30 Skill India International Centres will be set up across different States.