Tatsat Chronicle Magazine

Ministry of Skill Development Launches Project to Upskill Nagaland Artisans

Launching the initiative, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MoS, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said that traditional techniques of craft and artwork are a significant part of India’s rich heritage and there is an urgent need to preserve these skills.
December 29, 2021
nagaland

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; and Ministry of Electronics and IT, virtually launched a pilot project to upskill over 4,000 cane and bamboo artisans from Nagaland under the Recognition of Prior Learning component of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

“The objective of this initiative is to upskill the local weavers and artisans to enhance their productivity through RPL assessment and certification in traditional handicrafts. The project targets to upskill over 4,000 craftsmen and artisans,” the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship stated.

The upskilling project under RPL is expected to improve the competencies of the unorganized workforce existing in the geography. The artisans and weavers will be aligned with the standardized National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF). It will provide access to existing artisans and weavers to sustain their livelihoods and enhance their skills, and technical knowledge. Additionally, the pilot project will augment the marketing skills and techniques, promoting traditional and local crafts of cane and bamboo artisans. The initiative will add value to the traditional handicrafts through Upskilling Bridge Module through Government of India certification. Under the initiative, each batch shall run for 12 days with 12 hours orientation and 60 hours Bridge Module.  Further, after the orientation programme along with the Bridge Module, the artisans and weavers shall be certified with the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Type-1. The training delivery partners for the upskilling initiative are Cane Concept and Handloom Naga.

Launching the initiative, Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajeev Chandrasekhar said it is the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to create the right synergies and build infrastructure for the country’s youth, from North to South and from East to West.

“It is an article of faith for him (PM Modi) that the future of India will be defined by the efforts, energy, and success of our youth population, including the 4,100 artisans who are going to be trained in Dimapur. This is not an isolated movement but a part of a larger vision of enabling youth with skills,” Chandrasekhar said.

The project will be implemented in different phases, including the selection of artisans and weavers, training of trainers, and upskilling of artisans and weavers through RPL with Bridge Module. The artisans and weavers will be selected from the traditional crafts clusters of Nagaland.

In September 2021, Rajeev Chandrasekhar visited Nagaland and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Post his visit, he expressed the need to organise a project for the preservation and revival of dying traditional crafts in the respective regions as the handicraft sector is the major employment generator in these geographies. It was observed that the heritage and traditional skill clusters require skilled artisans from villages to meet the demand for traditional crafts in Nagaland and J&K.