Two major national initiatives, launched by the Union Government, which the President of India had announced in his address to the Joint Session of Parliament early this year, face the prospect of sabotage from within, according to senior officials of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs. The President, in his address had announced that the focus of his Government would be on “Skill India”. He said that a national policy for skill development and entrepreneurship was on the anvil. The President also declared that “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan” would be another area of top priority.
But even before the programmes are launched a concerted effort is on to sabotage these efforts from within the Union Government itself by a coterie of bureaucrats and academicians owing allegiance to the Congress, say senior officials as well as academicians specialising in these areas. Authorities in the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute for Youth Development at Sriperumbudur near Chennai, an organisation launched for skill development and women empowerment, are all set to wind up the most sought-after skill development and gender studies courses even as a new national policy for skill development and entrepreneurship is getting readied.
A CBI probe has found that the institute authorities were misusing Government funds meant for ‘Skill Development’. “In violation of all laws the responsibility of skill development was outsourced to Providers Skill Academy, a private institution with dubious record. The CBI has summoned RGNIYD director latha Pillai for questioning in this connection,” said a Ministry official.
Interestingly, there are many reputed vocational training providers under the Ministry of labour functioning around the RGNIYD itself. “Though these institutes have all infrastructure and experts to offer various skill development programmes, the institute has not approached them even once for a joint venture,” said a faculty member.
“The academic audit committee appointed by the director of the RGNIYD has been made to prepare a report asking for the closure of the MA course in life Skill Development. This was a course which imparted training to youth in personality development, communication skills, inter-personal communications, counselling and life skill coaching,” said a leading academic in the Ministry, who has coached hundreds of youngsters in Skill Development. He pointed out that universities and academic institutions all over the world have made life skill coaching a mandatory subject.
Prof SP Thyagarajan, former vice-chancellor, Madras University, himself a proponent of skill development programmes, said he was shocked by the move of the RGNIYD to close down the course in life skills. Faculties working at RGNIYD said that Deep Joshi, chairman, executive committee, was appointed by the previous Congress-led Government and his allegiance was always with the Congress. “Though the vice-chairman, a Congress youth leader, quit his post following the election to the lok Sabha, Joshi continues as the chairman of the EC and is out to sabotage the work from within,” said a faculty at the RGINYD.