With an emphasis on make vocational training aspirational and incentivise youth to join skill development programmes, Skill India has introduced two new benefits for the certified candidates under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY 2016-20). These include Kaushal Bima (a personal accident insurance cover) and DigiLocker facility.
PMKVY, the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India, is implemented by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). NSDC has collaborated with The New India Assurance Co. Ltd. (NIA) to provide ‘Kaushal Bima’ insurance facility to the certified candidates under the scheme. As per the current regulations of IRDA, 3-year Personal Accidental Insurance covering death and permanent disability for a sum insured of INR 2 lakh will be provided through the scheme.
The New India Assurance Company Ltd. has created a master policy for all the candidates who will receive the insurance benefit under PMKVY scheme with a validity of 3-years from the date of certification. The insurance premium will be borne by NSDC. A special toll-free helpline will also be extended by NIA to address insurer’s grievances.
Further, with an aim at transforming India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy, the certified candidates will be provided facility to access their Skill Certificate through DigiLocker. The same can be downloaded using a mobile app or the web portal. DigiLocker is a key initiative under the Digital India program.
Digilocker is a platform for issuance and verification of documents and certificates in a digital way, thus eliminating the use of physical documents. To simplify the entire process, an online interface has been developed and operationalised between NIA and Skill Development Management System (SDMS) managed by NSDC, wherein the master policy number is being generated online and printed on the Skill Certificate. Further, the training centers can download the Skill Cum Insurance Certificate through an online platform, i.e. SDMS and the candidates can access the Skill Certificate through https://digilocker.gov.in/.
Comments Rajesh Agrawal, joint secretary and CVO, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, “PMKVY (2016-2020) aims to provide quality training to build skilled and job-ready workforce catering to the evolving demands of the industry. PMKVY offers an array of features to benefit the recipient, making it an effective and a friendly skill development scheme. This is our aim to empower and give access to our candidates with new age digital solutions.”
Manish Kumar, MD & CEO, National Skill Development Corporation said, “NSDC is committed to empower youth with employable skills and help them earn a better livelihood. It is our endeavor to provide a secured future to all the candidates trained under PMKVY. This would enhance their productivity and help them contribute further to the building of the nation.”
NSDC is one of its kind public-private-partnership organisation with an objective to facilitate skill training in partnership with private training providers.