Apprentice Scheme in Maharashtra
Unemployment is one of the many reasons that hinder the progress of the states and the country. While the government and the private sectors churn out job opportunities, youngsters often fail to avail these benefits. The main reason behind this is lack of adequate skills. The Maharashtra government has taken a new initiative to ensure that the eligible and skilled individual can take part in the vocational sector. The state government will soon officially launch and implement the Apprentice Scheme in the region. The primary objective of this scheme is to offer appropriate opportunities to the interested youngsters to enhance their skill levels.
On the 7th of March, 2020, the Finance Minister of Maharashtra announced that the state authority has prepared the preliminary draft for this scheme. He mentioned that government, semi-government and private organizations will be able to associate with this skill development program. The eligible and interested applicants can apply for this scheme via online process. However, the Maharashtra government has not yet launched a website for the completion of the enrollment process.
The beneficiaries will be able to join these organizations as apprentices. If the beneficiary joins a private company, for skill development training, the Maharashtra government will offer Rs. 5000 or 75% of the total scholarship. In case the beneficiary joins a semi-government or government organization, then he/she will be entitled to receive 100% scholarship from the Maharashtra government.
The Finance Minister of the state highlighted that the government plans to continue this skill development scheme for the next five years. He also mentioned that the official implementation of the Apprentice Scheme has been scheduled for implementation on the 15th of August 2020. For this, the state finance department has set aside a whopping sum of Rs. 6000 crore.
It has stated that the beneficiaries will be able to enroll for skill development training sessions, which will be organized by the government. The beneficiaries will not have to pay any money to get these trainings. The training sessions may last for three months to three years. The session duration will depend on the skill development course that the beneficiary applies for. It is expected that the implementation of this scheme will offer an opportunity to as many as 10 lakh youngsters to enhance their vocational skills.
The Finance Minister mentioned that the applicants must be residents of Maharashtra to partake in this scheme. Additionally, the lower limit of applicant’s age must be 21 years, while the upper limit has been set at 28 years.
Only theoretical knowledge may not be enough for the job applicants. By taking part in the training sessions, they will acquire hands-on practical knowledge to complete the professional requirements. The skill development scheme will make them better equipped to join the professional sector. The IT and other industries will no longer have to worry about the scarcity of knowledgeable employees. Apart from this, the youngsters will be able to bag a job that will pave the path for the overall financial and social development.
The Skill Development Ministry of Maharashtra is chaired by Nawab Malik. He shed light on an apprenticeship project, which had been developed and implemented by the Indian Government. However, the stipend that it offers is only Rs. 1500. It discourages the youngsters to partake in this project. The scheme, which will be implemented by the Maharashtra government, is more lucrative.
The Maharashtra officials pointed out that there are around 46,243 licensed organizations, operating within the state borders. Among these, 8656 establishments have already enrolled to be associated with this unique initiative. When this project will be fully operations, it will have the capacity to enroll as many as 2.75 lakh interested applicants. For the time being, 55,652 applicants have registered for this skill development project.
The minister stated that it is a joint venture that will involve the private organizations and the Maharashtra government departments. These bodies will work in unison to ensure that the scheme implementation offer satisfactory results. It has been highlighted that the state government will contribute Rs. 1500 crore over the span of consecutive three years. The financial contribution, made by the private sector will amount to Rs. 12,000 crore.
Apart from this, the Maharashtra government is also gearing up for implementation of the CMs Employment Generation Program. The state officials had pointed out that a budget of Rs. 130 crore has been allocated for the preliminary operation of this project. Individuals, who are interested in opening their companies or those who want to develop their existing ventures, will receive financial assistance from the Maharashtra government. The beneficiaries stand a chance to attain anything between 15% and 35% financial grant under this project. The scheme will be rolled out during the 2020-2021 financial years.
The Maharashtra government is taking the necessary steps to ensure that the educated and able people find jobs within the state. It will boost the skill development, IT and manufacturing sectors respectively. It will also pave the path for the generation of more revenue for the state government that can be utilized for the betterment of the people.
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