New Delhi, March 08, 2021.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) felicitated 25 women nano entrepreneurs in the capital averring its commitment to empowering women by providing training and guidance across skills and sectors. Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, handed certificates to the women at an event in the capital, in the presence of several dignitaries, including Shri Praveen Kumar, Secretary, MSDE; Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Additional Secretary, MSDE, Smt. Juthika Patankar, Additional Secretary, MSDE; and Smt. Neelam Shami Rao, Director General, Directorate General of Training, and students from across the skill ecosystem, especially women candidates undergoing trainings.

The awards were conferred in recognition of the indomitable spirit displayed by these 25 exceptional women who have overcome hardships in their lives to carve a future for themselves. They have received training from different quarters of Skill India Mission, including Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Directorate of General Training (DGT) and Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS). The achievers have made their mark in varied job roles such as EduTech, Handicraft, Cooking, Pickle-making, Coir artisanship, Handicraft, Apparel, Beauty & Wellness, Front Office Management, Customer Relationship Management, Cosmetology, Electrician, Fashion Designing, Dress Making, Designing & Embroidery, Bakery & Confectionary, Healthcare and Jute weaving.

Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, “We have had seen a huge transformation in the lives of women in our skill ecosystem, who have empowered themselves with skill of their choice and are today setting examples for many others. Today’s gathering is to encourage more women to take up entrepreneurship and contribute to the vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, of our Hon’ble Prime Minister. MSDE aims to provide institutional help to qualified and skilled women from our ecosystem who wish to launch their own start-ups, in line with our objective to promote more and more women entrepreneurship in the country.”

Dr. Pandey said, “There is increased participation of women in hard skills today like welding, automobile mechanics, CNC machine operators, electronic, hardware etc along with new age job roles aligned to Industry 4.0 such as Artificial Intelligence, 3D Printing, Data Analytics, etc. Under the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, we are also working close with the Ministry of Women and Child Development for the training of 10,000 specially-abled women (Divyangjans), in skills and trades of their choice. All these endeavours result in bringing about a perception shift in the way women are welcomed in the society.” 

He further added, “Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 2.0 (PMKVY 2.0), more than 45 lakh women were trained in various skills and trades, including in job roles like automation, robotics, etc, which have traditionally been male-dominated. This is an encouraging sign and an affirmation of our commitment to women empowerment.”

MSDE has undertaken several initiatives to facilitate training of women across various skills. Out of a total of 1.21 crore youth trained under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, close to 50% are women candidate. Under PMKVY 2.0 (2016-2020), a total of 45,71,646 females have been trained as on January 2021. Of the total placed candidates, 53% are women. The count of women candidates in ITIs spanning the country, has nearly doubled (97%) since the commencement of Skill India. More than 21 lakh women have been assessed, upskilled and certified under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Program of PMKVY, bringing them into the formal economy and also upgrading their existing skill sets. And more than 85% candidates getting trained in the 226 Jan Sikshan Sansthan across the country, are women candidates.

Skill India has partnered with Government Initiatives like Ayushman Bharat, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart City Mission etc. to align skill development efforts to these national missions by ensuring a steady flow of skilled workforce. These programs are also generating lakhs of jobs, particularly for women by creating job roles like caregiver, midwives, nurses, diabetes educators etc.

Skill India has 19 National Skill Training Institutes which are imparting skill training exclusively for women. These NSTIs organise skill training programmes in several areas such as Office Management, Electronics, Fashion Design & Technology, Computer-Aided Embroidery & Designing, etc. We also have 6 Pradhan Mantri Mahila Kaushal Vikas Kendras, which also has travel facility for female candidates and also a creche facility to support new mothers to take up skill training.