70 women to benefit from free skill programme in Kullu

Under the aegis of the State Rural Livelihoods Mission (SRLM) of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), the Alps Institute, in coordination with the Way to Life organisation, has launched a free skill development course for girls and women in Kullu. The course, titled ‘Measurement Inline Check-up’, is aimed at empowering rural women with employable skills and improving their livelihood opportunities.

Sharing details of the initiative, Alps Institute Managing Director and State Head of the project, Jitender Rajpoot, said the programme would train 70 females, and registrations were open until February 26. The course shall start from March 1. He said all bonafide women residents of Himachal Pradesh who had passed at least Class VIII and were within the age group of 15 to 35 were eligible to apply, irrespective of their category.

Rajpoot said priority would be given to women belonging to below poverty line (BPL) families, those engaged under MGNREGA or their wards, members of Self Help Groups (SHGs), and economically weaker sections. He added that women from Kullu, Mandi, Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts could avail themselves of this free training opportunity.

The MD said the course focussed on cutting and knitting-related skills and would run for 600 hours. Trainees would undergo six hours of training daily and the programme was expected to be completed in about three months. In addition to technical skills, the trainees would also receive basic computer training and entrepreneurship development inputs to enhance their employability and self-employment prospects.

Highlighting the support being extended to participants, Rajpoot said boarding and lodging facilities for all trainees would be provided free of cost. Dresses and study material would also be supplied without any charge. An examination would be conducted at the end of the course, after which placement assistance would be provided through partner organisations.

He further explained that under the project guidelines, the Ministry of Rural Development released funds only after successful placement and six months of continuous employment of the trainees. Until then, the institute would bear the entire cost of training and related expenses. He added that new batches would be started after the completion of the first batch in about three months.

Rajpoot also elaborated on the broader framework of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), a flagship MoRD initiative launched in 2014 to skill rural youth aged 15–35 years from poor families. He said that in Himachal Pradesh alone, about 9,000 rural youth had received training and nearly 5,000 had secured jobs so far.

Urging eligible women to come forward, Rajpoot said such initiatives are crucial for strengthening rural livelihoods and ensuring sustainable employment for women in the state.