Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Sunday said Himachal will soon emerge as a model State in skill development.
The Chief Minister was speaking as a chief guest in the closing ceremony of the Skill India Pavilion at “World on Platter” in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at New Delhi.
Thakur said thrust of present Government will be on upgrading the skills of youth and to make them self reliant so that self employment avenues can open up for them which could only lead to youth empowerment.
He said the Government will consider coming up with a plan under which brand product for every district would be identified and promoted under Skill India.
The State Government’s focus is on youth and in Himachal Pradesh, the share of youth population is 35.25 per cent, which is more than the national level of 34.80 per cent, he said.
The Chief Minister added the Centre has formulated the national policy for skill development and entrepreneurship to provide an umbrella framework to all skill development activities being carried out within the country, and to align these to common standards and link skill development activities with demand centres.
On the same analogy, Himachal Government has introduced the skill development policy to guide the reform and scaling up of skill development efforts in the State.
Under skill development allowance scheme, 1,85,326 persons were benefited with an amount of Rs 156 crore, he added.
The Chief Minister also lauded the efforts of the organisers to promote skill India initiatives during the global event which would empower skilled youth and go a long way in providing wide exposure and job opportunities to them.
He visited all the stalls set up in the pavilion and interacted with the organisers. Thakur also visited Himachal Pradesh stall and distributed certificates to the participants.