In the Central Tribal Belt of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Odisha

FVTRS is happy to announce the completion of the research on 'Skilling and Employability' in the central tribal belt of Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. We have planned to organise the debriefing workshop at Ranchi on 25th April 2018. We have also requested Honorable Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, to officially release the report on 6th May 2018 at Bhubaneshwar during the Odisha Skill Conclave.

For India, skill development is critical from both socio-economic and demographic point of view. For the economy to grow at 8% to 9%, with the targeted growth rate of 10% for secondary, 11% for tertiary and 4% for agriculture sectors, a multi-faceted and highly efficient skill development system is imperative. India will become the second largest population with a headcount of around 1.4 billion by 2025 in the world. It has distinct advantage of having the youngest population with an average age of 29 (FICCI, 2014). Hence such a scenario necessitates skill development for the workforce.

Government of India has accorded high priority to the skill development and entrepreneurship promotion as a strategy to accelerate livelihood and economic opportunities in the rural sector. Further, entrepreneurship can play a pivotal role in generating local employment and eradicating poverty for economic development.

Although, India has witnessed much better economic growth during last two decades than it previously had but both the growth as well as the quality of employment has not matched with the impressive growth rate. There is considerable evidence of the marginalisation of rural-tribal population and high incidence of poverty within rural-tribal areas. Rural people in general and tribal in particular are the most disadvantaged in terms of access to services, including education and training, and are the worst victims of multiple forms of deprivation.

Tribal people in multiple settings are likely to be amongst those who are not being reached in the drive towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developing decent livelihood options, employment and self-employment of the tribal according to their convenience have always been a major concern for the Government as well as the civil society organizations. Despite investing largely in tribal welfare schemes the overall status of development in the tribal areas and the plight of tribal population continue to be an area of major concern.

FVTRS with its knowledge partner CYSD conducted an in-depth study to ascertain about the living circumstances of the tribal communities and the existing skill gaps that is an outcome of poor relationship between education, skill training, industry and business. The objective was also to propose a possible road map that would succeed in linking skill development to gains in productivity, employment and development. It was also intended to strengthen skill development policy towards three main objectives namely (i) matching supply to current demand for skills (ii) helping workers and enterprises adjust to change; and (iii) building and sustaining competencies for future labour market needs.

This study has been conducted with the association of partners from Jharkhand namely Phooleen, Mahila Chetna Vikas Kendra, Dumka, and Savera Foundation, Tisri, from Chhattisgarh namely Bastar Dharma Kshema Samiti, Kanker and BastarSamajikJanVikas Samiti, Jagdalpur and our partners from Odisha namely Seba Jagat, Kalahandi andCYSD, Bhubaneswar.

This study has been completed. The study report has been released by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India during Orissa Skill Conclave on 6th and 7th of April 2018.