AGARTALA, Feb 22 (TIWN): Amidst much controversy about the corruption held under Tripura Skill Development Mission, the Union Skill Development Minister has announced Rs. 54 crores for Tripura Skill Development for the year. However, how far it will reduce the unemployment burden this has remained under question. However, as the Modi Govt is well aware about the ongoing corruption under Tripura’s various departments, thus it has decided to set up Central Controlled organizations under Skill Development. However Tripura’s Skill Development Mission reels under nepotism, lack of expertise , corruption under the stewardship of Manik Sarkar’s most favorite tainted former Chief Secretary S.K.Panda who misused Chief Secretary’s official position to use Central RMSA funds to sell his personal books favoring corrupt book publisher ‘Gyan Bichitra’. Tripura government had decided to set up State Skill Development Mission to enable youth to experience employment in 2016. In an interview on Skill Development in Tripura with M. Nagaraju, IAS, Principal Secretary Govt.of Tripura said, “We haven’t limited ourselves to typical industrial skills; we also focus on native crafts and natural resources like rubber, tea, bamboo".

 However, although skill development mission kicked off in Tripura and time to time Tripura Skill Development Website has been published in the Govt Website.

But who will evolute the quality of skill in Tripura?

Tripura Govt said that the number of persons trained in Tripura are  : 37,068,whereas the number of employed are : 1,355 only. Moreover, although the number of trained persons are 37,068 but the persons who were Certified only 13,842. But surprising matter is that the details about the trainers are not available in the website.

In 2015, reportedly Panda sent a 4 yearly budget for Skill Development. The budget was as :

2016-17 : 48,713 crores,

2017-18 : 67,764 crores

2018-19 : 66,689 crores

2019-20 : 66, 709 crores

That means in four years Panda’s budget is at around : 2, 49,875 crores. Already 17 private organizations will be benefited out of Panda’s miracle.

Neither the Govt of Tripura is following any particular guideline to run this skill-development mission. Whereas the Nagaland Govt also adopted guidelines by PMKVY to the trainees to get jobs for themselves or be able to set up some enterprises thereby not only employing themselves but Tripura Govt has set up a separate directorate committee is to to run various programs of skill development in various sectors. Under these sectors, the youth of the state of Tripura will be trained based on skill, capabilities, merit and interests.

Now it’s wellknown that how under Mission Officer S K Panda is running this Skill Development Mission.

In the name of skill development Panda is finishing with some time-passing with unemployed youths of state  and thus the Skill Development Mission remained just as a joke to the unemployed youths of Tripura.

The next plan is that the Govt will send offer letters to the youths who have been trained under Skill Development and they will run the Mission. Thus it can be imagined what will be that shape of Central Govt’s skill development projects in Tripura.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 2015, July 15 launched the Skill India campaign on the occasion of the first World Youth Skills Day in view of opening a war against poverty in the country. The budget for skill development has also been increased as Jaitley in his budget allocated Rs 3,016 crore as against Rs 2,173 crore last year. He said under the next phase of Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE), the government will be spending Rs 2,200 crore. 

However, as part of the programme the Tripura government received a hefty fund and had taken up certain initiatives just for name-sake under the skill development training programme, which was said to meet the cry of youths especially the youths of the rural areas, but alas in these 2 years unemployment rate instead of decreasing it’s increasing  .

 M Nagaraju said, “We work with several training partners and certifying agencies with an objective to train and employ youth in various industry sectors”. But in reality Tripura’s unemployment rate instead of decreasing it has increased upto 7 lakhs.