The Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS), is a Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs which converges five erstwhile schemes viz. ‘Seekho Aur Kamao’, ‘Nai Manzil’, ‘Nai Roshni’ and ‘USTTAD’ & ‘Hamari Dharohar’ and focuses on upliftment of six notified minority communities through skill development; entrepreneurship and leadership of minority women; and education support for school dropouts. The scheme also provisions to facilitate credit linkages by connecting beneficiaries with loan programs offered by the National Minorities Development & Finance Corporation (NMDFC). Under the scheme, skills and education support would be provided to youth of minority communities that could earn them suitable employment or make them suitably skilled to take up self-employment.

Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing its flagship Scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) since 2015. Under PMKVY, skill training is imparted through Short Term Training (STT) and Re-skilling and Up-skilling through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to youth across the country. Under PMKVY 4.0, the focus is to empower trained candidates to choose their varied career path and they are suitably oriented for the same. To enable the opportunities for employments, Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) Portal has been launched as a one-stop platform that integrates skilling, education, employment, and entrepreneurship ecosystems to provide a lifelong array of services targeting a wide range of stakeholders. Details of the trained candidates are available on SIDH portal. Through Skill India Digital Hub, candidates can have access to jobs and apprenticeship opportunities. Also, On-Job-Training (OJT) has been made an inherent component of the PMKVY.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Minority Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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SS/ISA