Project Saamrath: A Rubber Skill Development Programme For 10 Lakh Personnel

Rubber Skill Development Council (RSDC) has launched Project Saamrath, an ambitious project to skill, re-skill and upskill ten lakh personnel involved in the rubber sector by 2020, reports The Hindu BusinessLine (BL).

“The Council has joined hands with the Rubber Board in upskilling the growers. The Rubber Board has expertise in spearheading the skilling drive in NR plantations,” said Vinod Simon, Chairman, RSDC.

Project Saamrath will provide training to these planters under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana across natural rubber plantations, tyre services and rubber manufacturing.

This training will enhance the skills of the workers involved in jobs such as Latex Harvest Technician (tapper), Rubber Nursery General Worker, Rubber Processing Technician—Rubber Sheeting and General Worker Rubber Plantation, among others.

According to RSDC, most of the skill learning on the shop floor in the industry is mostly unstructured, on-the-job training. Thus Project Saamrath will plug the skills gap by providing structured short term modular courses along with certification.

Indian Rubber Industry

India, which is the fifth largest producer and fourth largest consumer of natural rubber in the world, also has the sixth largest area under rubber plantation globally.

The Indian rubber industry is vast with production side consisting of natural rubber and synthetic rubber on the one hand and manufacturing segment of the tyre and non-tyre rubber products on the other hand. The manufacturing side of the sector comprises of 500 large/medium sized companies and 5,500 small and tiny units.

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