New Delhi, September 9 (APAC Media): The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, today inaugurated Skill Manthan, a national webinar series designed to showcase district-led innovations in skill development.
The inaugural session focused on the theme “Building Sustainable Livelihoods for Women”, featuring initiatives from Bijnor and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and NTR district in Andhra Pradesh.
Districts as Engines of Skilling and Economic Transformation
In his Keynote Address, Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (I/C) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Minister of State for Education, Government of India, emphasised the critical role of district administrations in translating national skilling priorities into grassroots outcomes. He called for district-led planning, stronger alignment with local industries and MSMEs, and greater ownership of skilling outcomes by district leadership.
The minister also made a strong case for moving beyond the word “vocational” in describing India’s skilling ecosystem. He noted that the term does not fully capture the country’s ambition and emphasised that “skilling” is a more progressive and inclusive concept, conveying that everyone can and should acquire skills, from schoolchildren and farmers to women returning to the workforce after career disruptions.
He urged district administrations and skilling institutions to adopt this broader perspective and work towards a whole-of-government approach, bringing together civil society, private industry, MSME associations and government organisations.
Focus on Hyperlocal Skilling
Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, MSDE, highlighted the importance of hyperlocal skilling, with district-level interventions designed around local industries, economic opportunities and aspirations. She underlined the need to build a continuum between education, skilling and employment, particularly for women seeking to enter or re-enter the workforce.
Bijnor’s Vidur Brand Scales Women-Led Enterprises
Jasjit Kaur, District Magistrate and Collector, Bijnor, showcased the district’s Vidur Prerna brand. Launched in December 2023, the initiative aims to provide rural women’s self-help groups with a common identity and market platform. The initiative has trained 2,000+ SHG women, established 300+ producer groups, and developed 160+ products.
Its market network includes 100+ Vidur outlets, 65+ Vidur cafés, 44 cluster-level stores and 29 Vidur vans. The initiative has recorded ₹12 crore+ turnover, verified through a third-party agency, alongside 30,000+ Lakhpati Didis in the district.
NTR’s RISE Model Links Skills with Finance and Enterprise
Dr. G. Lakshmisha, District Magistrate and Collector, NTR District, presented the RISE (Rural Incubation, Skilling and Entrepreneurship) Centre, built around the vision of “one family, one entrepreneur.” The district has around 25,000 SHGs with 3 lakh members, alongside 75,000 registered and 8,000 unregistered entrepreneurs.
During the session, Lakshmisha highlighted that in the last eight months, RISE has conducted 31 workshops involving 3,000 SHG women, eight skilling programmes benefiting around 300 participants, and two job fairs resulting in 178 placements. The initiative also enabled 200 women to access bank linkages, helped 45 women start new enterprises, and supported 18 existing businesses to scale.
Meerut Takes Women into Sports Manufacturing with SportEdge
Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh, District Magistrate and Collector, Meerut, presented the women-led badminton racket and shuttlecock manufacturing initiative under the SportEdge programme.
According to Singh, the model currently provides women with a fixed salary of Rs. 8,000 per month, with a target of reaching Rs. 20,000+ through progression and incentives. The initiative aims to train 5,000 women and scale production to 1 lakh badminton rackets and 5 lakh shuttlecocks annually.
The session reinforced MSDE’s vision of making districts engines of skilling, entrepreneurship, employment and inclusive economic development.
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