Secy RDD advocates trades for rapid skill development under HIMAYAT

Srinagar, Nov 25: Secretary, Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj (RDD&PR), Mohammad Aijaz Asad, on Monday emphasized the need for undertaking Trades/Courses under HIMAYAT scheme, highlighting their effectiveness in rapid skill development and job creation.

He also called for timely completion of ongoing long term courses.

The Secretary was speaking while chairing a meeting held to review and discuss proposals for the project parameters and issuing sanction orders for various Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) under the HIMAYAT Scheme.

During the meeting, discussions centered around training durations, trade names and targets with particular attention given to uniformity in training hours for trades such as Guest Service Associate (F&B) and Front Office Associate.

The meeting was attended by Director Finance, Umar Khan, Chief Operating Officer, Himayat, Rajneesh Gupta, Joint Director Planning, Kamal Kumar and representatives of PIAs.

Describing the Himayat Scheme as a transformative initiative for empowering and skilling the youth, the Secretary highlighted its pivotal role in tackling unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that 33,377 candidates have been trained under the Himayat scheme so far, with 14,407 successfully placed in various sectors. Additionally, 846 individuals are currently undergoing training. He asked the officials to fully realise the scheme's potential, ensuring it benefits the maximum number of unemployed youth across the UT.

The Secretary emphasized the scheme's capacity to equip young individuals with practical skills necessary for thriving in a competitive job market.

To amplify the scheme's impact, the Secretary called for introduction of new, market-driven, job-oriented courses that cater to sectors with significant demand for skilled professionals. He emphasised that the scheme’s success relies on the collective efforts of all stakeholders. Regular monitoring and adaptation of training modules to align with evolving market trends are necessary to ensure its long-term effectiveness, he asserted.

The Secretary also directed the officers for taking immediate action to recover pending dues from Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs). He asked the officials to implement a systematic recovery process, involving coordination with District Commissioners where required.

The Secretary stressed the importance of financial accountability and efficiency, urging all stakeholders to prioritize completion of pending validations and align their efforts with the revised action plan.

Chief Operating Officer Himayat, Rajneesh Gupta, briefed about the process of revising training parameters, ensuring that all approvals were commensurate with reductions in product costs to avoid additional financial implications.

Rajneesh highlighted that the training hours for certain trades had been decreased by 150 hours, particularly for Front Office Associate, now revised to Guest Service Associate (Version 5).