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Livelihood for the Masses: A Task Ahead
I n recent times, the media has been abreast with the news of readily available unskilled human resource and the educated unemployed lacking the vocational expertise required for the industry ready to provide employment. India has had an average growth rate 5.8 per cent in its GDP during the first decade of reforms (1992-2001) and is currently among the 10 fastest-growing economies in the world. The poverty ratio has declined from 36 per cent in 1993-94 to
26.1 per cent in 1999-2000. However, with the absolute number of
unemployed and underemployed increasing steadily, the promotion of
livelihoods continues to remain a key element for Indian planners. The
Indian Planning Commission has been tasked with a skill development
mission focussing on employability.
The overriding objective of the Government of India as per the guidelines of the UNDP will be to develop the capability of people to make a living, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of their lives - both in rural and urban settings - without jeopardising the livelihood options of others. Vocational training could play a key role in bridging the gap that keeps millions of workers in the unorganised economy from living a better future. The needs are complex, and mere training for income-generation is seen to be insufficient. On October 18, 2007, a new web
portal www.skillindia.com was launched in India. This
The task of the Planning Commission will be daunting, with the target of extending training facilities to 10 million people a month, as compared to the 2.5 million a year. It is essential here that the Planning Commission make a systematic study of the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) that represents a positive evolution in thinking around poverty elimination, and yet differs from the previous approaches to development. This approach will need to put people at the centre of development and build upon their strengths rather than their needs. It must bring together all of the relevant aspects of people’s lives and livelihoods into development planning, implementation and evaluation. qDr. Virendra Kumar Vijay Bhavana Gadre
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portal,
a joint effort of Government of India and United Nations Development
Programme, offers and shares information on vocational courses, trades
and employment for young people in the informal employment sector.