Ministry of Skills launched 500 Crore budgeted “Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana”

New Delhi : Marking the 2nd Foundation Day of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge), launched the Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana, MSDE’s flagship scheme on entrepreneurship education and training.

The scheme spans over five years (2016-17 to 2020-21) with a project cost of Rs. 499.94 crore, and will provide entrepreneurship education and training to over 7 lakh students in 5 years through 3050 Institutes. It will also include easy access to information and mentor network, credit, incubator and accelerator and advocacy to create a pathway for the youth.

Congratulating on the launch of the scheme, Shri Rudy said, “Today we are taking important strides to scale up entrepreneurship in the country. I am pleased to announce the launch of Pradhan Mantri YUVA Yojana which have national and international best practices of learning in entrepreneurship education.”

“MSDE’s two institutions dedicated to entrepreneur education and training – NIESBUD and IIE- have trained more than 7 lakh trainees including 2,600 persons from more than 125 countries in the field of entrepreneurial skills till date. After becoming a part of this Ministry, these two institutes are now focusing on mentorship of budding entrepreneurs across the country. We have seen success so far and we are determined to create more opportunities of employment for our youth through this initiative,” he further added.

The institutes under the PM’s YUVA Yojana include 2200 Institutes of Higher Learning (colleges, universities, and premier institutes), 300 schools, 500 ITIs and 50 Entrepreneurship Development Centres, through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

Emphasizing on the importance of being self-sustainable, MSDE announced the institutionalization of National Entrepreneurship Awards for first generation achievers below 30 years, for the very first time. The Entrepreneurship Awards are proposed to be given on 16 January 2017. The young entrepreneur will be awarded in various sectors contributing to the economy of our country. Equal emphasis has been given to recognize the meaningful contribution of ecosystem builders in this award process. Equal focus has been given to recognize young people from socially disadvantaged groups.

“We believe that this initiative will motivate first generation entrepreneurs to improve and excel in their entrepreneurial pursuits, and inspire those who are a part of the country’s entrepreneurship ecosystem to excel even further,” said Shri Rohit Nandan, Secretary MSDE.