By Ibu Sanjeeb Garg
Beating the Rhetoric
The demographic dividend of any nation is defined as the growth potential of the nation that can occur due to rapid increase in percentage of working population (15-64 years) to the total population. India stands at a crucial juncture on top of this demographic dividend. A large number of youth are entering the job market at a time when global numbers are declining. India not only seeks to fulfil its own ambition as a rising economic superpower but can also become the future human resource centre of the world. And thus in these interesting yet crucial times, the concept of skill development gains much prominence. Skill development is imparting training to any individual in a particular sector so that he/she can enter the job market with employment of a status that justifies their knowledge and skill level.
With this goal in mind, the government of India has launched an ambitious Skilling Mission that seeks to skill 40.2 crores by 2022. During the target year 2015-16 the results have been fairly positive with government achieving 23.64% of the target in the first quarter itself. With these premises, it would be a good time to revisit as well as analyse how skill development has performed in the north eastern states as well as chart a course for the future.
Alongwith the rest of the country, Skill Development has picked up in the NorthEast as well. The Arunachal Pradesh government has set up a State Skill Development Mission with the aim of training 50,000 people by 2022. The goals are set to be achieved through coordination with both government funded ITIs as well as private service providers. In Assam, skill development is imparted through EGM(Employment Generation Mission) as well as Assam State Livelihood Mission and National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM). These schemes have achieved phenomenal numbers. A Skill Development department in Assam has also been set up recently to spearhead the success story of skill development in Assam.
Manipur has set up a number of committees that are engaging with varied stakeholders to carry the idea of skill development forward. The Meghalaya State Skill Development Society has trained 7700 youths in skill development, in its first phase and has ensured their placement too in different industries and sectors. The DDU-GKY (Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kausalaya Yozna) aims to train rural youths and bring them into the job market. The Meghalaya government has also identified a few key sectors to work on, including Tourism, Automobile Mechanic, and Housekeeping among others, through this scheme. Both Mizoram and Nagaland have aligned their skill development schemes and goals within the gambit of broader skill development goals of the country. Tripura has set up a separate State Skill Development Mission to enable youth to gain employment. Sikkim has inaugurated livelihood schools where skills are imparted to youth in different sectors including training them in arts and crafts. The livelihood schools in Sikkim have been performing consistently well .They have, in fact, given a new lease of life to the arts and crafts industry of the state.
While the above would show us that most of the states in the North East have immersed themselves in the objective of skill development, there are other steps to further sustain and maintain the momentum in achieving the goals of skill development mission. One of the first steps would be a comprehensive skill mapping of each state. Skill mapping would encompass the harnessing of traditional knowledge of a particular area and developing it into a skill which can be redesigned as a source of employment. Such skill mapping that focuses on the needs of the catchment area would ensure meaningful employment for the local youth, instead of rapid migration to urban areas.
The Assam government has already rolled out a framework and a map in this regard. For example, Barpeta district in Assam, which is traditionally known for local fireworks and bell metal handicrafts, have ITIs and other institutes in place which impart knowledge on these sectors. The syllabus of such institutes can be reworked to place the traditional domain knowledge and redesign it in such a way that the trained youth are ready for the market sector. At the same time, smaller MSME industries in cluster mode should be encouraged to be developed in such areas. This ecosystem would ensure that skill development reaches its logical end of achieving employment. Similar model can be developed in Cachar district, known for its pottery and Sital Patti work. Sonitpur district can be developed into a prominent rice milling centre, given its existing experience as well as expertise.
The other North Eastern states could carry out their own skill mapping exercise in order to identify those niche areas where they can develop a strong foothold backed by a traditional knowledge ecosystem or advantages of history or geography. Tripura can harness its immense potential of becoming a Rubber giant. The Rubber manufactured in Tripura can also be exported to neighbouring countries. With the recent plans to connect North East by railways to the East Asian neighbours, such business models gain more trajectory. Hence there is an urgent need to develop a strong skill development mechanism to train workers for the rubber industry. Nagaland can focus on tourism centred around the Hornbill Festival which has become a nationwide phenomenon today. The idea of tourism has to move from an overview to a more niche targeted model. For example, Meghalaya can stress on few areas like Sohra, Dawki and the unexplored Jaintia hills to develop centers of excellence in tourism with a whole support system of food and beverage, hospitality, adventure sports spun around it.
Apart from skill mapping, there is a need to integrate the international market by identifying new areas where traditional domain knowledge of these areas can be harnessed to create market for certain products in neighbouring countries. This model has been replicated by Pran Foods in Bangladesh. The food processing company from Bangladesh has created a niche market for itself in North East by introducing products like Litchi Juice in the market. In the last few years, the company has gained a firm foothold in a large number of areas in the North East. The North East states must take advantage of this cross border trade as well and eye industries which can deliver products which neighbours need. For example, the rich tradition of handicrafts in forms of gamoucha (towels) and shawls in the North East, can be utilised to create options for products in the market in neighbouring countries for the same. The Pran Food model of Bangladesh must be utilised as a template to identify areas where North Eastern states can thrust themselves. The North Eastern states must take advantage of close proximity to its East Asian neighbours and derive economic prosperity through the same.
While Skill Development programmes in the North East is undoubtedly on track, further innovative solutions will yield even better results. These steps have to be rooted in the heart of the region and be futuristic at the same time, in terms of harnessing the knowledge towards sustaining meaningful employment through the path of skill development.
(Views expressed by the author is personal in nature.)