Railways Launches Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana To Train 50,000 Youth

Indian Railways has launched an ambitious programme on the occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti to impart training skills to 50,000 youth across the country.

The Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana is expected to empower youth by providing entry level training in industry skills through railway training institutes as part of 75 years of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'.

Dedicating the job-oriented initiative as the gift of the railways to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said, "the vision of skill development is an integral part of the vision of Prime Minister and 50,000 youth will be trained under Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana."

The programme as part of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) was launched on Friday (17 September) in Rail Bhavan.

The Railway Minister said, "the aim of this initiative is to impart training skills to the youth in various trades to bring qualitative improvement."

He emphasised that training in remote areas must be conducted under Rail Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

The training will be provided to 50,000 candidates over a period of three years. Initially, the training will be provided to 1,000 candidates in four trades — electrician, welder, machinist and fitter — and will comprise initial basic training of 100 hours.

Training programmes in other trades will be added by zonal railways and production units based on regional demands and needs assessment. Training shall be provided free of cost and participants will be selected from applications received online, through a transparent mechanism on the basis of marks scored in matriculation exams.

Candidates who have passed Class X and are between 18-35 years shall be eligible to apply. Participants in the scheme shall however have no claim to seek employment in the railways on the basis of this training.

The programme curriculum has been developed by Banaras Locomotive Works, the nodal production unit for this scheme, which will also standardise assessments and maintain a centralised database of participants.

The scheme is being launched for 1,000 participants initially and will be over and above the training provided to apprentices under the Apprentice Act 1961.

A nodal website is being developed as the single source of information about programmes offered, notification inviting application, lists of selected candidates, results of selection, final assessment, study material and other details.

Currently, applicants may apply in response to the advertisements issued locally in the initial phase. Submission of online application shall be opened soon on a centralised website.

Trainees shall be required to undergo a standardised assessment and will be awarded a certificate in the allotted trade by the National Rail and Transportation Institute, upon conclusion of the programme. They will also be provided relevant toolkits which would help trainees apply their knowledge and enhance their capacity for self-employment as well as employability in various industries.

Seventy-five railway training institutes spread across the country have been shortlisted to provide training in aforesaid trades, to cover youth from all over the country.

The scheme will not only improve the employability of the youth but also upgrade the skills of self employed and those who are working with contractors through reskilling and up-skilling and contributing towards the Skill India Mission.