BHUBANESWAR: The state cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, on Tuesday approved the Dakshyata Vikas Yojana, a flagship skill development scheme with an outlay of Rs 450 crore.
Chief secretary Anu Garg told media persons that the scheme to be implemented for two years will aim at strengthening employability and preparing Odisha’s youth for emerging opportunities in India and abroad. It will target to cover 4.2 lakh youths through industry-aligned skill training, digital skilling, overseas employment support and institutional strengthening.
The government will provide placement-linked short-term training to 1.17 lakh youth and offer digital skilling to three lakh youth in emerging field such as AI, cloud computing, data analytics and cyber security. The scheme will also support targeted projects for vulnerable groups including persons with disabilities, jail inmates, transgender persons and particularly vulnerable tribal groups, she added.
Skill hubs will be established in higher education institutions to offer placement-linked National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) aligned courses to students alongside academic programmes. Besides, the programme will provide training in foreign languages such as German and Japanese along with cultural orientation, certification support, visa assistance, travel support and post-placement services, she added.
The cabinet also approved the continuation of the Chief Minister Skill Development Fellowship under which 40 fellows will be deployed across districts to support in demand assessment, assessing skill gap and industry partnerships. A Skilled-In-Odisha Digital Hub will be established for end-to-end candidate tracking and monitoring skilling outcomes.
The cabinet also approved the Urban Storm Water Drainage Management and Improvement Programme (USWDMIP) with an outlay of `500 crore to address the challenges of recurrent waterlogging, localised flooding and related public health concerns in cities and towns.
Garg said the scheme will cover urban local bodies and selected block headquarters to revamp, modernise and expand the capacity and efficiency of drainage systems which are under increasing pressure due to rapid urbanisation.
