Capacity Building towards shaping the future of our younger generations”


Gangtok (IPR): The Sikkim Democratic Front Government under the dynamic leadership of the Chief Minister Mr. Pawan Chamling has made it clear that in order to take Sikkim to its desired goal, its human resource has to be developed and enhanced and provided with requisite skills and training. Keeping this in mind, a unique policy decision was announced by the Chief Minister that all departments and Panchayatiraj institutions have been directed to set aside 2% of their budget allocation for capacity building programmes and trainings for the youths.

The Capacity Building Programme initiated by the government is first of its kind in the country. Accordingly, the government has also set up a full-fledged Capacity Building Training Institute at Karfectar, South Sikkim last year.

The State Government is of the firm belief that the Capacity Building Programme has been a most practical way of providing on hands training to our youth who are also later on supported with financial assistance to start their own business venture.

A large number of youths have been sponsored by the government for undergoing various self-employment oriented training under capacity building within and outside the country with the sole aim of transforming them into productive individuals with capability to interact with the world and further serve as a human resource for the state.

Under the programme over 4000 youths have been provided loans to start business ventures;

nearly 350 have availed of higher technical education in other parts of the country and abroad and

thousands more provided with skills in the various vocational institutes within the state to begin their own small enterprise.

The main objective of the government is to utilize the services of the Youth Empowerment Directorate and allied agencies to substantially reduce the number of unemployed youth in the age group 15-34 by providing a range of free and paid for services.

The Chief Minister has stated that in the upsurge of employment opportunities for the unemployed in various sectors and industries in the next five years, the refined objectives and system of YED will attain will transform the state.

As per the projected growth in the next five years

8000 jobs will be generated in tourism,

4000 in agriculture horticulture,

5000 in construction and

1500 would be motivated to take business and

1000 in IT sector.

Infrastructure development and creation of opportunities alone will not contribute towards economic development of the people. The State Government is, therefore, fully aware that it would need competent manpower who, besides being educated, are capable and skillful to take advantage of many opportunities available.

Besides, the need to change the stereotyped mindset of younger generation to answer the call of time and circumstances and switch over to more promising and potential professions, including those in service sector. Accordingly, the Government is encouraging all sections of the society - both educated and uneducated, the farmers and entrepreneurs to undergo exclusive training schedules for skill augmentation so that the opportunities arising out of Sikkim's natural strength and rich climatic variations could be effectively harnessed by the local people.

source: sikkim reporter