The EST&P under National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) formerly known as the SJSRY (Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana) was launched during 1997 to provide gainful employment to the urban unemployed or underemployed through the setting up of self employment ventures or provision of wage employment. It is now part of National Urban Livelihoods Programme (NULP).
There is a component under EST&P, known as Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP), which seeks to provide wage employment to beneficiaries living below the poverty line within the jurisdiction of urban local bodies by utilising their labour for construction of socially and economically useful public assets. UWEP will provide opportunities for wage employment, especially for the semi-skilled migrants/residents by creation of community assets.
Wage employment will be used only as a short term measure till the beneficiary is able to get the benefits of skill development for self employment ventures or employment in the formal sector.
Another component titled “Skills Training for Employment Promotion amongst the Urban Poor (STEP-UP)” also imparts training for wage employment. This component of EST&P will focus on providing assistance for skill formation/upgradation of the urban poor to enhance their capacity to undertake self employment as well as access better salaried employment. STEP-UP intends to provide training to the urban poor in a variety of service, business and manufacturing activities as well as in local skills and local crafts so that they can set up self employment ventures or secure salaried employment with enhanced remuneration. Training will be imparted in vital components of the service sector like the construction trade and allied services such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical and also in manufacturing low cost building materials based on improved or cost effective technology using local materials.
2 Skill Development Initiative (SDI) of the Government of India
SDI is a very innovative and novel scheme which has the potential to transform the skill development scenario in the country. It was designed to impart skills relevant to the industry to school-leavers at various levels by using existing vocational training and skill development infrastructure in the country. Under the scheme, it is ensured that the trainees who acquire skills may continue life-long learning and come back for second, third or fourth module. Apart from attaining horizontal mobility, the trainee also has the option to pursue vertical mobility either in the same or a different trade. The scheme also offers recognition of prior learning in those cases where the skills have been acquired through informal methods such as hereditary training by parents or informal apprenticeships under a master trainer, etc.
The Modular Employable Skills (MES) scheme is being offered under the Skill Development Initiative Scheme (SDIS). The Ministry of Labour and Employment undertook the development of a new strategic framework, namely the MES, for skill development for early school leavers and existing workers, especially in the unorganised sector in close consultation with industry, micro enterprises in the unorganised sector, State Governments, experts and academia. The main objective of the scheme is to provide employable skills to school leavers, existing workers, ITI/ITC graduates, etc. Skill levels of persons already employed can also be tested and certified under this scheme, i.e., certification of prior/experiential learning. Public Private Partnership (PPP) envisaged in the form of active participation of the industry/private sector in every stage of design and implementation of the scheme. The MES concept has the potential to go a long way in furthering skill development as it has provided a pathway for multiple entry and exits as well as transforming skill development from long term skill acquisition periods (1 to 2 years) to short term (about 3 months).
There are certain basic principles which have to be followed to make MES scheme successful. They are:
