New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) The government has disbanded theSecurity Sector Skill Development Council, set up to provideprofessional certification for private security industry,after an audit found several malpractices, including misuse offunds and serious conflict of interest.
The powers of assessing trainees and awardingcertificates have been taken away from the Security SectorSkill Development Council (SSSDC) and it has been subsumedinto the management sector skill council.
The development comes in the backdrop of rising concernsover job creation and the government's increased focus onskilling to create workforce ready to be absorbed by theindustry.
Sources said there are complaints from various quartersregarding the functioning of the sector skill councils thatare set up as autonomous industry-led bodies by National SkillDevelopment Corporation (NSDC).
The sector skill councils are being closely watched, andrecommendations for the non-performing ones have beensubmitted to the Ministry of Skill Development andEntrepreneurship, as there is a need to "weed out" the badones, NSDC MD & CEO Manish Kumar told PTI.
A directive has also been issued for freezing the bankaccount of the Security Sector Skill Development Council toprotect the public money lying with it.
"Inquiry is done, now we will file an FIR. It issomething which is serious and we are not going to leave it,we are going to pursue this," Kumar said.
The FIR, he said, will be filed against the executiveauthority who was signing the cheque. "Apparently, the signingpower was with the Chairman (Kunwar Vikram Singh), whoever wassigning the cheques we will hold accountable," Kumar said.
The council has 22 persons on its Board.
Kumar said an audit which was shared with the NSDC Boardraised a "lot of money misuse" and the report was shared withthe government.
"A government request had come that they (security SSC)should not be entrusted with the responsibility of a sectorskill council. A formal communication had come from thegovernment, so it is a combined decision of the government andNSDC," he said.
In NSDC too, 6-7 employees have resigned in the recentpast, perhaps owing to feedback on their poor performance,whereas a couple of others may have resigned as their"integrity was under cloud" and an inquiry would havefollowed, Kumar said, adding that poor-performers may be askedto leave in future.
However, he said that mass sacking is out of thequestion.
According to sources, the government is not satisfiedwith the performance of the flagship skilling scheme PradhanMantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) being implemented by NSDC.
"PMKVY's performance and IT (Smart Portal) performancehas not been up to the level that we wanted. Therefore, thatdoes mean that we need to do more out there. We want toimprove that," Kumar said.
The NSDC had earlier wrested control of its SkillManagement and Accreditation of Training Centres (SMART)portal from Quality Council of India, following severalcomplaints regarding inspection of its training centres beingrun under PMKVY.
The Security Sector Skill Development Council wasconstituted as per the National Skill Policy of thegovernment. It was jointly formed by the Central Associationof Private Security Industry and NSDC.
The NSDC was set up as a one of its kind public privatepartnership company. PTI RSNBAL.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.