PM-DAKSH (Pradhan Mantri Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi) Yojana is a scheme implemented for the upliftment and skill development of socially, educationally and economically marginalized sections/communities of the society, including SCs, OBCs, De-notified Tribes (DNTs), EBCs, Safai Karamcharis, and waste pickers.
The scheme was launched by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment in the year 2021.
Objective
The main objective of the scheme is to provide short-term and long-term skill-level training to the targeted youths of the country to make them self-sufficient through self-employment.
Further, the purpose of the scheme is to improve the far-ranging capability and proficiency of around 2.71 lakh persons over the period from 2021-2022 to 2025-2026. The scheme targets the following sections of society
• Artisans: They are provided with an opportunity to improve their revenue-generation capacities within their practising vocations.
• Women: Owing to domestic compulsions, women cannot be employed in wage employment, and long working hours resist them from working. PM DAKSH Yojana empowers women to enter the world of self-employment to facilitate them to go in for self-employment, thereby financially empowering them without neglecting their domestic activities.
• Youth under the target groups: Youths are provided with long-term training and specialization in employable vocations, which provides them with a better chance of getting a suitable job.
Key Features
The scheme is implemented by three Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) under the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment:
National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation (NSFDC; providing financial help in the form of loans and helps eligible Scheduled Caste people for their socio-economic development), National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC; helping Backward Classes in their economic and developmental activities and for achieving self-employment) and National Safai Karamcharis Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC; socio-economic upliftment of the Safai Karamcharis) with the following features:
• Providing training free of cost for the aspiring trainees, with 100% grants from the government
• Providing a stipend of Rs. 1,000 to Rs. 1,500 per month for each trainee for having attendance at 80% and above in the short- and long-term training period
• Trainees having attendance at 80% and above in reskilling/up-skilling to be provided with wage compensation of Rs. 3,000 per trainee (Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 500 as per PM-DAKSH and as per common cost norms, respectively)
• Certificates issued to trained candidates after successfully completing the training and assessment
• Providing placement to trained candidates after finishing assessment and certification
Types of Skill Development Programmes Under PM-DAKSH
Up-skilling/Re-skilling
This training is intended for rural artisans, domestic workers, sanitation workers, and so forth on the vocation of practice, such as pottery, weaving, carpentry, and waste segregation, as well as training in financial and digital literacy.
The duration of the programme is 32-80 hours to be completed within one month.
Short-Term Training
Training is given for various job roles. It focuses on self-employment opportunities like self-employed tailors training, furniture making, and food processing together with financial and digital literacy.
The duration of the programme is 200-600 hours and up to six months.
Entrepreneurship Development Programmes
This programme is for SC, and OBC youth having undergone skill training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and have an entrepreneurial thought process. The curriculum is based on programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and is implemented by the Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs).
This programme is conducted by RSETIs, the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) and another similar kinds of organizations.
The duration of this programme is about 80-90 hours (10-15 days) or as specified by MoRD. The training cost is per norms of MoRD/common cost norms.
Long-Term Courses
Training is provided in sectors with good job demand for trained candidates. The training programmes are per guidelines of the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), National Council for Vocational Training (NCVT), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (M/o MSME), and so forth.
The training is provided in areas like production technology, plastic processing, apparel technology, and the health care sector. The duration of the programme is more than five months and usually goes up to one year (up to 1,000 hours), which is specified by the concerned board of the training centre.
The training cost is per common cost norms or stipulated by the concerned board. Also, the stipend is provided for non-residential programmes.
Initiatives Associated with Skill Development
The following initiatives are associated with skill development
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0
• National Career Service Project
• Skills Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood (SANKALP)
• Kaushalacharya Awards
• Scheme for Higher Education Youth in Apprenticeship and Skills (SHREYAS)
• Atmanirbhar Skilled Employee Employer Mapping (ASEEM)
