Learning and Earning in the ‘New Normal’
The process of learning should never end. If we stop learning, we directly reduce our chances of earning a livelihood. While the entire world is still reeling under the impact of COVID-19 Pandemic, the candidates of DDU-GKY are setting up examples of Hon’ble Prime Ministers vision of boosting the economic activities in the nation. Candidates trained under DDU-GKY, Basix Pvt. Ltd., Bihar, are seen working in Gujarat Hotel Narayani Height.
Similarly Ms. Resham Kumari from DDU-GKY Ara, shared her experiences and motiavted all to stay invigorated. She appreciated the quality training provided to her by her training centre Basix Pvt. Ltd. She is currently working at KFC restaurant and highlighted the fact that she was paid her salary even during lockdown. Emphasising on making the best use of oppurtunity, Ms. Resham requested the youth to take up training with DDU-GKY and secure their future.
Another example would be DDU-GKY Candidates under Mizoram SRLM, who had earlier returned home due to the COVID-19 Lockdown but now back in action as they are employed again, in Domino’s pizza at Aizawl, Mizoram.
Free Distribution of Masks by PNB RSETI Yamunanagar
On 23rd June 2020, PNB RSETI Yamunanagar in Haryana state, sponsored by Punjab National Bank (PNB) handed over 200 masks to Mr Ratan Singh, Superintendent at District Prison Yamunanagar for distribution among prison inmates. On the occasion, Mr Sunil Chawla, PNB Lead District Manager (LDM), Mr Sushil Kataria Manager-LDM office and Mr Sunil Chawla, PNB RSETI faculty were present.
Mr Sushil Kataria informed the Prison Superintendent that the masks are being prepared by the institute with help from self-help groups and are being presented for the wellbeing of the inmates. He also emphasized the importance of wearing a mask during the COVID-19 pandemic. He advised that one should not go out of the house unless it is very essential and unavoidable. Ms Monika Kamboj briefed the superintendent about the various courses offered by PNB RSETI Yamunanagar.
Similarly, on June 30, 2020, in coordination with Punjab National Bank (PNB) RSETI, a meeting of District Level RSETI Advisory Committee (DLRAC) was organized in deputy commissioner’s office, Yamunanagar. The meeting was chaired by district deputy commissioner Mr Mukul Kumar and attended by Mr Kushaldeep from NABARD, Mr Sushil Kataria, Manager-LDM office, faculty of PNB RSETI Ms Monika Kamboj as well as representatives of all government departments. In the meeting, 200 masks were handed over by PNB RSETI, to the District Deputy Commissioner for distribution among the public. PNB officials informed the attendees that masks are regularly being prepared by the institute and are distributed for the benefit of the public.
Positive stories from DDU-GKY Himayat
JAGDEEP SINGH
Jagdeep Singh, 22, hails from Fatehpora, Baramulla. His father owns a small shop in the local market, however this was not sufficient to meet even the basic expenses of his family. Jagdeep, being a dropout could not focus on his studies and was unable to find a proper way to go ahead in life. He had given up all his dreams. It was during this tough period of his life he got introduced to the skill development program by one of his relatives. The moment he heard about the assured assistance in job placement, he felt motivated and decided to join the training. He joined Himayat with the hope of getting knowledge of applied skills, through which he could survive in the competitive world.
The trainers discovered that he was very calm and trained him for the service provider job. The training focused on customer handling skills and taught him to trust his abilities. At the end of his training period, he appeared in an interview and performed really well. He got the job of a cashier in Max Life Style with a salary of 15000 per month.
Today Jagdeep is extremely happy and satisfied with what he achieved. He underwent a complete changeover from being a withdrawn to a person who could overcome fears and insecurities. He is also planning to continue his studies.
In his own words, Jagdeep highlights “I have learnt the lessons of life by facing reality which is, that nothing can be done while staying at one place. My daily interaction with people from varied backgrounds had taught me so much about life”. Further he motivates his brother and sisters by suggesting “My message to the youth of Kashmir is that the world does not end if you drop out of school. Programs like Himayat can help you as it helped me. You can get skilled and earn a livelihood. There are lot of job opportunities, it is just that you need to adapt your skills and work hard for it”.
ATINDER JEET SINGH
Atindeer Jeet Singh, 22, hails from main town Baramulla. Atinder’s father is a truck driver who has to work day and night to feed his family. Atinder somehow managed to complete his B.Com from Government Degree College Baramulla. He studied business and wanted to work in the same sector. Unfortunately J&K was a state with inadequate private sector, thus it became a serious limit factor for his career growth. Financial restrictions stopped him to establish his own business. While he was wandering in search of a job he discovered a poster in his locality. He found there is placement based skilling program in his own home town.
Without any further delay, he stepped in to enquire about the program. He participated in a counseling session in which the team of IL&FS Baramulla delivered all the necessary information about the program and enrollment. He got admission in retail domain and then started his never ending journey of growth. During training he exhibited curiosity and dedication which led him to get a job in Max Life Style, Goa as a Sales Promoter. He earns Rs 15000 per month and is extremely happy and satisfied with whatever he has achieved.
In his own words, Atindeer credits his success to DDU-GKY program- “Himayat is beacon of hope for students like me. It helps you to get out of the confusion and chaos. It inculcates passion to work hard in one’s life. I am extremely thankful for the dedication shown by my trainers while training me”.
Online Job Fairs in Haryana
As a result of COVID-19 all systems have come to standstill. All the DDU-GKY training centers in Haryana are shutdown since beginning of lockdown. Most of the trained youth are jobless as they could not be placed due to prevailing situation. With an objective to overcome this predicament and at the same time, considering the MoRD guidelines, HSRLM took the initiative of organizing virtual job fairs in association with various PIAs. HSRLM has planned to organize virtual job fairs in a series. So far, seven virtual online job fairs involving four PIAs, 142 candidates & 12 employers have been organised.
1. Online job fair organized by M/s Manpower Group Services India Pvt. Ltd.
M/s Manpower Group Services India Pvt. Ltd. organized a job fair on 16th July 2020. The job fair was attended by representatives from MoRD, HSRLM along with two employers and four candidates.
Important data related to the job fair are detailed in the table below:
| S. No. | Name of Employer | Location | Profile | No. of Vacancies | Source | Date of Job Fair |
| 1 | 24 Seven | Gurgaon | Store Assistant | 10 | Google Meet | 16th July 2020 |
| 2 | Yazaki India Pvt. Ltd. | Bhiwani | Quality/ Assembly line | 20 | Google Meet | 16th July 2020 |
2. Online job fair organized by M/s Apollo Medskills Ltd.
M/s Apollo Medskills Ltd. organized job fairs on 10th, 11th, 17th & 22nd July 2020. The Job Fairs were attended by representatives from HSRLM along with four employers and 106 candidates.
Important data related to the job fair are detailed in the table below:
| S.No. | Employer Name | Location | Interview Date | Time | Profile | Salary in Rs | Source |
| 1 | Evershine Facility | Delhi NCR | 10th July 2020 | 12:30 PM | GDA | 14000-15001 | Google Meet |
| 2 | Shine & Standard | Delhi NCR | 11th July 2020 | 12:30 PM | GDA | 14000-15000 | Google Meet |
| 3 | Arkay Medicos | Delhi NCR | 17th July 2020 | 10.30 AM | Warehouse executive | 10000-12000 | Google Meet |
| 4 | Apollo Pharmacy | Delhi NCR | 22nd July 2020 | 10.30 AM | Apprentice executive | 11000-12000 | Google Meet |
3. Online job fair organized by M/s Mass Infotech Society
M/s Mass Infotech Society organized job fair on 15th July 2020. The job fair was attended by representatives from HSRLM along with two employers and 23 candidates.
Important data related to the job fair are detailed in the table below:
| S. No. | Name of Company | Location | Date | Vacancy | Salary in Rs | Source |
| 1 | LG Balakrishnan | Manesar | 15th July 2020 | 80 | 9025 | Google Meet |
| 2 | Napino Auto & Electronics Ltd. | Manesar | 15th July 2020 | 40 | 9350 | Google Meet |
| 3 | Bajaj Motors | Haridwar, Uttarakhand | 15th July 2020 | 50 | 9025 | Google Meet |
| 4 | A.K Manpower. Pvt. Ltd. | Bhiwadi, Rewadi | 15th July 2020 | 100 | 9025 | Google Meet |
4. Online job fair organized by M/s Lala Kundan Lal Memorial Society
M/s Lala Kundan Lal Memorial Society organized job fair on 24th July 2020. The job fair was attended by representatives from HSRLM along with two employers and nine candidates.
Important data related to the job fair are detailed in the table below:
| S. No. | Employer Name | Location | Interview Date | Time | Profile | Salary in Rs | Interview Source App |
| 1 | Quickjob Enterprises | Rohtak | 24th July 2020 | 11:00 AM | CNC Operator | 9500-10500 | Zoom |
| 2 | RBIA Services Pvt Ltd | Gurugram | 24th July 2020 | 3:00 PM | CNC Operator | 10000-12000 | Zoom |
Release of first of its kind ‘Coffee Table Book’ by Himayat Mission Management Unit
Himayat Mission Management Unit (HMMU) released first of its kind ‘Coffee Table Book’ at Jammu on 24th July, 2020. The Coffee Table Book was released by Sh. Baseer Ahmed Khan, Advisor to Hon’ble Lt. Governor, J&K Union Territory. Smt. Sheetal Nanda, IAS, Secretary, RDD&PR, J&K, Sh. Kapil Sharma Chief Operating Officer, HMMU, were also present on the occasion.
New Tool of Placement Verifications in DDU-GKY: A Perspective by Aswin Ramachandran, DDU-GKY, NIRDPR
In DDU-GKY, we are having numerous tools and techniques to minimize discrepancies and malpractices at different stages. The SOP of DDU-GKY is designed in such a way to ensure the same. Verifications are taking place in different levels by different functionaries. These are the main reasons of high efficiency and success of the program.
In the process of instalment release also, there are different functionaries involved. Instalments to PIAs are released only after completing all those processes involving PIA OP team, Q-Team, SRLM and CTSA. Placement verifications are an important part in this instalment release. Desk verification of documents and physical verification of placements of candidates are involved in the process. Physical Placement Verifications (PPV) are conducted at three levels by PIA Q-team, SRLM team and CTSA team. In PPV, placements of candidates are verified at the employment location, with prefilled SF 7.2D by recording a video of candidate responses. So the verification officer has to travel to the location of the candidate wherever he/she is placed at. The verification is done on sample basis and if six (in the case of CTSA) samples (candidates) are in six different locations then the verifying officer has to travel to those six locations.
Most of the times, the candidate may not be available in the employment location as the placement claimed (three months) by the PIA. There may be many reasons for this as candidates change jobs after three months. When the PIAs apply for the next instalment, the verification is conducted in which by the time the candidates will be at a different location or at home. Also, completing these process in a quick time is essential to reduce the process time of instalment release. Getting instalments in a much shorter time provides high moral good performing PIA. The physical verification is a time consuming process as it involves travelling to different locations and availability of candidates at a convenient time.
During the COVID-19 lockdown period, MoRD has notified to conduct the placement verifications through video calls by using new age technology tools. This is done to avoid the delay in instalment releases and reduce the financial burden of PIAs. It actually helps the functionaries a lot, by clearing all the pending instalment files. With that notification, placement verifications are conducted and recorded through different softwares and applications like Skype, Whatsapp, Duo etc. This has helped in reducing the ‘time for completing’ the verification considerably.
The Verification Officer can contact the candidate directly through phone and ask for convenient time for video call. All these calls, video uploads to the ERP system and report to the SRLM can be complete in a day or two. There is only very less chance of a failure in this process. Issue of network connectivity or lack of a mobile phone with a video call facility are the only two issues that may arise. Network issues are of less percentage in these days of telecom revolution. Mobile phone with video call facility can be availed by the candidates through friends or relatives, if he/she doesn’t have one. In some cases, verification has to be done for divyaang candidate who has hearing or speech concerns. In those cases also, help of a trainer from the PIA can be availed by adding the trainer also in the verification video call.
This new way of use of technology helps in many ways, as it saves the cost of travelling by the officer, delay in completing the process, reduce the chance of failed verifications at candidate locations etc. So it is better to add this provision of verification in SOP of DDU-GKY with some more guidelines.
Trainer of the Month
I am Pema Lhamu Pradhan, I work as a trainer in Regal Institute of Management Studies, Sikkim. I joined DDU-GKY in February, 2019 and have skilled 3 batches so far. I teach a course named, cook general. Even during this lockdown, I have been able to stay connected with my candidates and have managed to take online class for them. Online classes are scheduled every week so that candidates are able to revise their lessons. I am happy to be able to contribute and be part of a programme that imparts skills to the most needy. DDU-GKY has made it possible for candidates who cannot pay, to get trained and secure jobs. I am thankful to be associated with a programme that is helping people in this region.
Women in Skilling- Prerna Sharma
I am Prerna Sharma, currently working in Boparais Martial Security Pvt. Ltd. as a State Head- DDU-GKY in Jammu. I had always dreamt of being a successful and empowered woman to work on my own rather than being dependent on my family. I always wanted to help poor people, unemployed youth and people having no source of livelihood especially residing in far flung areas of our state. Hence, I joined skill sector which encouraged me to make my dream fulfilled. Making people self-dependent was is my objective.
The skilling sector is paving ways to make people to stand on their own feet for a sustainable economic life. It really boosts my morale towards serving humanity and by achieving both peace of mind and financial stability in my life. Being a mother, I never stopped working in my professional life. All of us face challenges but I never gave up and used those challenges to my advantage. I always supported female candidates to get skilled and earn not only for them but also for their parents so that they may feel proud to have a female child.
My Professional Life:
I am an MBA in HR and started my professional journey at a Private Ltd Organization as an Operational Executive in 2011. After one year, got promoted and shifted to Chandigarh.
I shifted to Skilling Sector in 2013 with the Udaan Project. In 2014, I joined another organization as a Trainer/ Centre Coordinator for Himayat Project. After eight months, the organization promoted me to the position of State Placement Coordinator based on my previous experience and performance during the tenure.
Now, from 18th July, 2019 I am working in Boparais Martial security Pvt Ltd in capacity of State Head. During this period, I was blessed with baby girl on 6th Feb, 2020. Because of my passion towards my work, I rejoined my professional duties from May 2020.
Virtual Capacity Building Sessions for PIA’s & SRLM by DDU-GKY, NIRDPR
As per the notification 7/ 2019 of MoRD (Ministry of Rural Development) and subsequent office order J-17060/59/2018-DDUGKY dated 3rd March 2020 to complete the roll out of Kaushal Bharat system across all the states, NIRDPR as a CTSA and developer of this system under MoRD initiated a series of capacity building sessions for major stakeholders of the system PIAs, SRLM, CTSA (NABCONS), TSA etc across the country in the month of March, 2020. But due to the sudden spurt of COVID-19 pandemic all the sessions had to be aborted.
In this situation to keep up with the roll out plan with the help of MoRD, DDU-GKY teams from NIRDPR conducted the sessions online to enable the attendees to attend the sessions from safe comforts of their home. These sessions helped sensitize the various stakeholders about the advantages of using Kaushal Bharat over vendor systems that are currently being used. During the course of the training the stakeholders were informed of comprehensive process of managing projects and migration of existing projects being managed on a vendor system.
All in all, DDU-GKY, NIRDPR MIS teams in coordination with training management team has conducted virtual capacity building sessions for PIA s & SRLM functionaries of 12 states on Kaushal Bharat System during the lock down period starting 13th April, 2020. These session are being conducted on the request of the participant states and will be carried forward based on the training needs of the states.
Details state-wise.
| State | Participants |
| Maharashtra | 51 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 56 |
| Uttarakhand | 160 |
| Tamil Nadu | 130 |
| Rajasthan | 254 |
| North Eastern States | 88 |
| Chhattisgarh | 158 |
| Nagaland | 44 |
| Arunachal Pradesh | 42 |
| Meghalaya | 30 |
| Karnataka | 49 |
| Mizoram | 31 |
| Total | 1093 |
Training Updates
Considering the COVID19 pandemic situation, NIRDPR will continue to schedule and conduct training over virtual platforms and e-learning through gramswaraj.nirdpr.in. Training schedule for the month of August 2020 has been published on ddugky.info with specific instructions.
Partners may register by clicking on the hyperlink and wait to hear from the training division of DDU-GKY NIRDPR for confirmation and instructions to join the virtual sessions.
For any clarification, SRLMs and Training Partners can write to trainingddugky.nird@gov.in
