Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana proves boon for Kashmiri girls, boosting employability

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 11 (ANI): The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana has become a major boon to Kashmiri girls who want to equip themselves with skills to become more employable.

PMKVY is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) being implemented by the National Skill Development Corporation. The objective of this Skill Certification Scheme is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.

Mehwish, a resident of Srinagar, saw the recent boom in tourism in Jammu and Kashmir. She knew that there will be many jobs generated in the tourism industry so she took training for a housekeeping assistant using the PMKVY scheme.

“I have completed my graduation. I heard about PMKVY and I came to know how important it is to have skills. Before 2019, tourist flow was very low but now the tourist flow is high,” Mehwish told ANI.

“There are new hotels and resorts everywhere and there is an increase in job opportunities… I took training for a housekeeping assistant to get a job and support my family,” she added.

Another Srinagar resident, who has benefited from the PMKVY, told ANI that she came to know about the scheme through her teachers.

“I have done my diploma in Computer Application. My teacher told me about PMKVY through which we could develop skills professionally,” she told ANI.

“I took admission and I saw that it has a lot of scope… This scheme is very good for everyone… This was free of cost, we were not charged any money,” she added.

One of the major achievements of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana initiative in Kashmir was when it helped revive Namda Craft. The first batch of Namda Art products was exported to United Kingdom in 2023 July.

Namda craft is a rug made of sheep wool through the felting technique instead of the normal weaving process. Due to the low availability of raw materials, lack of skilled manpower and marketing techniques, the export of this craft declined by almost 100 per cent between 1998 and 2008.

Jammu and Kashmir government is making skill development more demand-driven and decentralized in its approach with focus on digital technology and industry under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

The training imparted at PMKVY Training Centres (TCs) is aimed to benefit candidates either semi-skilled/unskilled or unemployed above 14 years of age. The training programs are certified and imparted as per the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF). Besides, hard skills, TCs also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, and financial and digital literacy.