Last Updated on April 18, 2023 by Admin
Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and NAREDCO (National Real Estate Development Council) to strengthen skill training and employment opportunities in the construction sector for the urban poor:
Shri Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs has announced a collaboration between Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs and NAREDCO, to strengthen the skill training and employment opportunities in the construction sector for the urban poor. This partnership aims to achieve various objectives which include alignment of skill training programs based on industry requirements; supply of skilled manpower to the construction industry by training the unskilled manpower at the construction sites ensuring employment through captive placement model. It also encompasses up-skilling of the construction workers to help make the sector aspirational by offering career progression opportunities. The Minister announced the MoU while addressing the Real Estate and Infrastructure Investment Summit 2018, organized by National Real Estate Development Council, in Mumbai today. The MoU documents were exchanged between the Government of India and NAREDCO, on the occasion.
Under this initiative, 2,50,000 urban poor are proposed to be trained over a period of 3 years across Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), up-skilling as well as fresh training, catering to the needs of the varied workforce in the construction sector, with an increased focus on hands-on training at the sites. Courses offered under this initiative range from 80 hrs to 3 months with 1-hour theory and 7 hours of practical training every day. The course would provide advanced learning opportunities in the construction sector; under this initiative, higher qualifications of NSQF level 5 and 6 are also proposed.
Since the majority of the workforce in the construction sector is generally migratory, institutional arrangements are being worked out by the Ministry to facilitate the skilling of workers at their work site, thereby getting rid of the need of traveling back to their native state for this purpose.
The initiative is hoped to encourage the industry to recognize the need of the soft skills vis a vis hard skills in enhancing the employability of the workers engaged in this sector. Association with industry under this initiative would also ensure that curriculums are further refined as per the emerging trends and industry needs. He added that he looks forward to the success of the initiative and positive impact it will have on the lives of urban poor engaged in the sector.
Shri Puri said that three features of the PMAY-U made it a scheme designed to succeed: the issue of land availability was addressed, demand was estimated scientifically, and Government stepped in with subsidies. The Minister spoke of the need for self-self-regulation in the sector, in order to bridge the trust deficit facing the sector.
The Government is taking targeted interventions for upgrading the quality of urban infrastructure in the country, through the six Missions (SBM, SCM, AMRUT, PMAY-U, DAY-NULM, HRIDAY) and metro rail projects. He spoke of the enactment of RERA as an example of a game-changing initiative taken by the Government.
Speaking of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), Shri Puri said that the scheme aims to address the projected housing shortage of 20 million by the year 2022. The mission provides assistance not only to the poor for house construction/ augmentation of the existing house but also subsidized loans to the middle-class beneficiaries. The total proposed investment under PMAY(U) is Rs 2.51 lakh Cr. The Minister said that sanctioned number of houses under PMAY-Urban has already crossed 6 million and that the target of the scheme is very well within reach.
The Presidential Change of Guard Induction Ceremony of NAREDCO was also held on the occasion. Members of the Managing Committee of NAREDCO and various stalwarts of the industry were also present.
Source:Â http://www.pib.nic.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1547772
