As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project “National Skill Development” the Union Environment Ministry has launched a pilot programme under the Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP) to impart training to 10th or 12th passed students or college dropouts to gainfully employ them as ‘Nature’s Guide’ in tourism, forests and wildlife sector across the country.
In this regard, the Zoological Survey of India in collaboration with Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has kicked off the programme in ten districts wherein three month training is being given to the identified beneficiaries, mainly from the local areas to turn them to ‘Nature’s Guide’ and then extended for another three months as an advanced course specialising to ‘Para-taxonomists’.
Dehra Dun, South Sikkim, Itanagar, Coimbatore, Pune, Allahabad, Kozhikode (Calicut), Jodhpur, North 24 Parganas and South Andaman have been selected for the pilot launch.
Dr Kailash Chandra, Director of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) told The Pioneer that the programme aims to train youth who have not been able to continue higher education due to different financial or social constraints but has an urge to learn new things and do something fruitful.
“The training through classroom sessions and field visits for the period of 3 months will impart general knowledge about the biodiversity and ways of conservation so that it can be spread to the general public through them and also create job opportunities for them. For instance, in sanctuaries, forests and tiger reserves in the country.
“It is a certified course aimed at creating green jobs, a humble contribution towards green economy of the nation,” he said. As regards trainees, maximum of 10 candidates would be selected from the local area in each of the
district.
“We are enrolling youths who have interest in nature, having basic knowledge of flora and fauna. Taxonomy is endangered in global level. Armed with the ZSI certificate, the trained youths can find adequate jobs,” the ZSI director asserted.
The Union Environment Ministry has launched the GSDP considering that by 2022 India will need around 10.4 crores of new workforce in various sectors and hence skill development is prerequisite to meet the demand.
“It is felt that the trainees of this programme can also be exposed for the expertise on wildlife conservation, nurseries, horticulture etc and can be absorbed with Department of Environment and Forests of the State Governments as well,” said a senior official from the Ministry.