Skill development key to self-reliance: DC
In a significant push toward self-employment and skill development, a district-level review meeting of the UCO Rural Self-Employment Training Institute (UCO RSETI) was held under the chairmanship of Acting Deputy Commissioner of Sirmaur LR Verma. The meeting, which doubled as the quarterly session of the District Review Committee and the Local Advisory Committee, focused on evaluating the institute’s training programmes and strategising ways to expand self-employment opportunities for youth.
During the discussion, Verma underscored the vital role UCO RSETI plays in equipping young individuals with employable skills. The institute offers free residential training in nearly 25 trades, including dairy farming, beauty parlour management, jute bag making, mushroom production, tailoring, banking correspondents, and textile painting entrepreneurship. Encouraging youth to take advantage of these free programmes, he emphasised that skill development is key to economic self-reliance.
As part of the broader agenda, the Acting Deputy Commissioner stressed the importance of promoting digital payment awareness and ensuring vigilance against cybercrime. With the rising cases of cyber fraud, he urged public awareness campaigns to educate citizens about online financial safety.
Verma also expressed concern over the growing number of non-performing assets (NPAs) in banks, advising financial institutions to implement effective loan recovery measures. Additionally, he instructed banks to extend their services to rural areas with populations of less than 2,000, ensuring better financial inclusion for marginalised communities.
Ensuring that all eligible youth receive timely information about UCO RSETI’s training programmes was another key focus of the meeting. Verma acknowledged the institute’s efforts in promoting self-employment and urged banks to provide financial support to trained individuals, allowing them to turn their skills into viable businesses.
The meeting also included a review of the progress made under various government schemes in the Annual Credit Plan 2024-25, such as the National Urban Livelihood Mission, PM Vishwakarma Yojana, PM Employment Generation Program, PM Jan Dhan Yojana, and PM Jan Suraksha Yojana. Additionally, the performance of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation till September 2024 was assessed.
Providing insights into the institute’s recent achievements, UCO RSETI Director Amita Sharma reported that 362 young men and women had completed training in various self-employment skills in the past three months. Lead District Manager (LDM) Sanoj Kumar, who conducted the meeting, presented the institute’s progress report and urged banks to facilitate loans for trained youth with greater flexibility, allowing them to successfully launch their ventures.
