Why did Haryana discontinue ‘IT Saksham Yuva Scheme, 2024’ within 21 months?
The ‘IT Saksham Yuva Scheme, 2024’ was aimed at providing skill training and employment opportunities to youth under ‘Mission 60,000’
Merely 21 months after being launched with much fanfare, the Haryana government has discontinued the ‘IT Saksham Yuva Scheme, 2024’, a programme aimed at providing skill training and employment opportunities to youth under ‘Mission 60,000’.
The decision was communicated via an official notification from the Citizen Resources Information Department (CRID) on April 27, mentioning that “the Governor of Haryana is pleased to discontinue the scheme”.
When and under what broader plan was the scheme conceptualised?
During the 2024-25 budget speech, then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced under ‘Mission 60,000’ that the government intended to provide skill training and employment opportunities to at least 60,000 youth.
The Haryana cabinet under Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini approved the IT Saksham Yuva Scheme on July 12, 2024. It was notified on July 25, 2024, and launched on August 12, 2024, from Panchkula on International Youth Day.
The scheme aimed to provide jobs to 5,000 youth in the first phase.
Who was eligible for the scheme?
Graduates or postgraduates, with B. Tech./ BCA/ BSc. IT or M.E./M. Tech./ MCA/MSc IT/MBA IT from recognized institutes were eligible for the Scheme. The age criteria were 18-35 years.
What kind of training was to be provided under the scheme?
A specially designed three-month training programme covering areas such as secure coding in Java, DotNet, PHP, web design, networking, web and mobile application development, digital marketing, and social media handling was to be provided. Haryana State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (HARTRON), Haryana Knowledge Corporation Limited (HKCL) and Shri Vishwakarma Skill University (SVSU), Palwal, were to impart the training.
What employment opportunities were planned after training?
The target was to provide employment to 5,000 youths across various government departments, boards, corporations, registered societies or private entities for up to two years.
After deployment, applicants were to receive Rs 20,000 per month for the first six months and Rs 25,000 per month from the seventh month. If awaiting employment, they were to receive an unemployment allowance of Rs 10,000 per month, subject to an annual family income limit of less than Rs 3 lakh.
What was the estimated cost of the scheme?
The total estimated annual cost was Rs 40 crore, including Rs 10 crore for skill training to be borne by Haryana Skill Development Mission (HSDM) and Rs 30 crore for unemployment allowance to be borne by CRID.
What reasons have officials given for discontinuing the scheme?
The scheme did not receive a good response. Also, similar apprenticeship schemes exist in other departments, such as Industry, which is why the scheme has been closed.
