Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 26: State Cabinet is likely to put its seal of approval on Skill Development Policy for the 12th five year plan whereby over 9 lakh skilled manpower would be created to address the problem of unemployment. In what could be another significant decision, the Cabinet may also accord sanction to introduction of bill to amend Jammu and Kashmir Employees Provident Funds Act in the forthcoming session of State Legislature in order to increase the threshold limit of employees under the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and rate of contribution of employer.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the Cabinet would meet under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, in Civil Secretariat at Srinagar at 2 pm to take decision on two important proposals of the Technical Education and Labour and Employment Departments.
They disclosed that State Government has fixed a target of creating 9.15 lakh skilled manpower (7.3 % of the total population) under the Jammu and Kashmir Skill Development Mission during the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17).
Stating that various sectors in the State have been identified for achieving the targets during the 12th Five Year Plan, sources said that 1.10 lakh skilled manpower would be created during the current financial year, 1.36 lakh during 2013-14, 1.68 lakh in 2014-15, 2.11 lakh in 2015-16 and 2.84 lakh in 2016-17. The sectors, which have been identified to achieve the target, are vocational and technical education, micro and small-scale industry, horticulture, tourism, information technology, health, A&SH, UDAAN and HIMAYAT.
“The objective for providing skill development training to unemployed youth is to make them employable in the organized sector”, they said, adding “the 12th Five Year Plan envisages huge investment in the infrastructure as such there will be huge requirement of skilled workers. Moreover, the providing skill development training in organized sector to the unemployed youth will facilitate them to seek jobs within and outside the country”.
In order to achieve the target, the State Government has prepared a policy keeping in view the present scenario of unemployed youth in the State, sources said, adding the policy has already received the approval of J&K Skill Development Mission headed by Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.
The key elements of the policy are engaging private players through initiatives like UDAAN and HIMAYAT, moving from State owned institutional framework to a larger non-Government effort, enhancing the existing training facilities, extending hand holding support to trainees during the skill-transfer phase, providing financial support for creating entrepreneurship/ self employment, creating a platform between Government industry and academia in order to match the requirement of industry, incentive for employer, establishment system of apprenticeship, outsourcing of the services by the State Government and initiating measures to address social stigma associated with the skill training.
Sources disclosed that Cabinet is also likely to accord approval to the proposal of the Labour and Employment Department to introduce a bill during the forthcoming session of State Legislature to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Employees Provident Funds (and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1961.
“By way of amendment in the Act, the State Government is intending to increase the threshold limit of number of employees in an establishment for coverage under the EPF scheme from 5 to 10 prospectively”, sources said. They, however, clarified that the establishments covered at present and having employees lesser than 10, will continue to be within the ambit of the scheme in respect of the employees already covered.
“The amendment is also being carried out to increase the rate of contribution of the employer from 8.33 % to 12 %”, sources informed.
While increasing the threshold limit of employees was the long pending demand of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Association of Industries, the employees’ representatives were demanding amendment in the Act so as to raise the employer’s contribution.
To sort out these issues, the Government had constituted a committee headed by Principal Secretary, Finance Department and nearly one year long exercise culminated recently with the finalization of tripartite deal, which has been agreed to by all the sides and takes care of social security aspect, sources said.
They further disclosed that Cabinet would also accord sanction to the regularization of Reyaz Ahmad Banday as Director and promotion of S S Sasan, Mohd Rafiq Matoo and Mohd Ismail Teli as Directors prospectively in the Economics and Statistics (Gazetted) Service.
As reported by EXCELSIOR today, the Ministers from both the coalition partners may also raise the issue of subsidized LPG keeping in view the impending difficulties for the people.
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