In the presence of Suresh Prabhakar Prabhu, Minister of Railways and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been signed between Ministry of Railways (MOR) and Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on mutual cooperation on Skill Development as part of The National Skill Development Mission.
Pradeep Kumar, Member Staff, Railway Board and Sunil Arora Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship signed the MoU.
Present on the occasion were Chairman, Railway Board A.K. Mital and other Railway Board Members and officials from Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Addressing the gathering, Prabhu said it is a momentous occasion and shall go a long way in the future development of our nation. Referring to the recent World Population Day, the Railway Minister pointed out that the population of India is growing by leaps and bounds and it may be possible that our population may outnumber Chinese population by the next census.
We are 1.27 billion and this demographic figure may swell in future which means that we will be the most populous nation of the world in future.
He added that it is necessary to have skilled population that can contribute significantly in country's economic growth. One of the principal focus areas of the Union Government is the National Skill Development Mission with a target to skill 500 million people by 2022 to make them more employable. Skills and knowledge are the driving forces of economic growth and social development for any country.
Skill development will be done through Skill Training Centres at sparable Railway infrastructure like way side stations, Railway Training Centres, Railway Schools, and Institutes.
Rudy said that this is a historic moment when two Ministries i.e. Ministry of Railways and Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship are joining hands in the mission of national skill development. He added the Skill Development Programme is a vision of the Prime Minister that will help country's work force in a big way and all must contribute in this task of national development.
With the signing of this MoU, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and National Skill Development Corporation will be able to provide the right platform to the large number of the rural unemployed youth to learn skills that will help them become economically self reliant and productive members of the society.
