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Ashok Chandna
Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship along with Youth Affairs Government of Rajasthan

Ashok Chandna, the youngest minister in the Rajasthan Cabinet who is handling the portfolios of Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship along with Youth Affairs and Sports has been making concerted efforts to create skilling avenues and link them with job opportunities. However, he believes that to achieve this goal there need to be a paradigm shift in the approach towards creating a better environment in favour of skilling, which starts with raising the standards of outcomes of our schooling process to create a wide and strong base for skilling the youth, writes Elets News Network (ENN).

Skill, employment and entrepreneurship and youth affairs are perhaps the top areas where governments—across the country—are focusing a lot as both the subjects are related to the youth. Rajasthan is one such state—which, through Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC) and Department of Skills and Employment and Entrepreneurship (DSEE)—has conceptualised and implemented various schemes that are essential to equip and empower the youth with more and more job opportunities.

“As we know, employment and skilling are interlinked, and unemployment is the most critical and reason for frustrating among youth of the State. Therefore a lot more needs to be done. On the skilling and employment front, since taking up the charge this year, I have been trying to strengthen skilling avenues for the youth and to link it with employment opportunities,” says Ashok Chandna, who is handling the portfolios of Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship as the Minister of State and is also serving as the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports (Independent Charge), Government of Rajasthan.

Chandna, in a message published in RSLDC’s newsletter, has expressed his concerns that today youths are fascinated by government and corporate white collar jobs and shun blue collar jobs. “The time has come to acquire new skills and keep an open mind to new approaches in the various job sectors so as to develop and evolve today’s youth. We are living in an ever-changing world. Skills that worked in the past may not work in the future. To continue to succeed, reskilling, learning and adapting should become a continuous process. Skill development can help youth exponentially. The Youth seeks employment opportunities to move ahead in life. Our skill development schemes need to be tailored to meet the aspirations of the youth,” the message reads.

“34-year-old Ashok Chandna is the youngest minister in the Rajasthan Cabinet. He is a Polo player and participates in a Polo tournament along with his team – Chandna Group – every year in Jaipur. Chandna has been elected second time in a row as an MLA.”

The minister has assured DSEE and RSLDC, the nodal agency for skilling in Rajasthan, of his full support to further the initiatives. The Rajasthan Government has recently announced various schemes including Rs 3,500 per month for unemployed youth. “They have been getting the benefit of the Chief Minister Yuva Sambal Yojana from February this year. Under the scheme, male applicants get Rs 3,000,” Chandna writes. The State government also runs schemes to provide women and differently-abled persons Rs 3,000 per month for two years, or until they get any job. DSEE and RSLDC are leaving no stone unturned to achieve this through proper co-ordination of all skill development efforts across the State; building the vocational and technical training framework; skill up-gradation; building of new skills; and innovative thinking not only for existing jobs but also jobs that are to be created.

Also Read: RSLDC – Empowering Youth to Contribute to Nation Building

According to Chandna, Rajasthan’s Skilling Ministry and RSLDC are doing their best to make this possible. “If we raise the standards of outcomes of our schooling process while also creating a larger environment favouring skilling, we will have created a wide and strong base for skilling our youth,” he believes. The mission of the RSLDC is to address the needs of rising unemployment in Rajasthan through formulating and promoting appropriate livelihood strategies for the State’s economically weak working population and fulfilling Government’s larger vision of attaining inclusive economic growth.

The Government of Rajasthan has also conceptualised a strategy to promote sports. The government is planning to host a sports event similar to Asian and National Games in the State next year. According to the Sports Ministry the preparation has already been started. Chandna has announced that these games will be organised next year between 2nd and 7th January. Participating in these games will help players to prepare for Khelo India games.

Further, in order to encourage sports, the Rajasthan Government has made announcement to give jobs to players who have won medals at the national level at various games. And, those who participate in the national games of Indian Olympic Federation or Para Olympics Committee will get direct government job. There are about 56 departments where the government is planning to recruit new candidates.

Also Read: Rajasthan: Well on its way to boost Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship

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