Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav

'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' - A saga of mega festival that never ends, festival of independence that never ends; is immortal in ways that we look at it, is immortal in ways that we sense it, is immortal in ways that we would like the world to hear and talk about it, is immortal in ways each one of us cherish and live every moment. The bugles have been sounded. It is now, the right time for each one of us, resolutions which will be stronger than ever, throughout the next twenty-five years to build India to the heights of prosperity that it once belonged to and was known for.

Background

'The goals of the countrymen must be turned into reality' as India moves towards completion of 100 years of independence - words of wisdom by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Foundations for which have already been laid, destined to be once again being called as 'Sone ki Chidiya - The Land of Golden Sparrow'. Foundations laid by way of determination, by way of great courage, by way of sacrifices, by way of mass movements, by way of co-creation and many other ways that we can think of, by innumerable great personalities. It is only because each one of us believed that 'a gap in skill and abilities reveal a golden opportunity'. Opportunities that have galloped under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi across every initiative that has been taken up towards the country's development, progress and prosperity.

Opportunities - Skilling & Employment

These very opportunities have been leading us from falsehood to reality, from darkness to light, from mortality to immortality and towards lasting peace that the mankind is looking for. It is a matter of fact that the whole world is like a small, tightly knit nuclear family. Inquisitiveness across every segment of the society and across multiple facets of development and growth has been on the rise for all the good reasons under the leadership of our Prime Minister. It is our inherent characteristic that makes us tap immense hidden potential in each one of us. These opportunities and the beliefs that we carry & live makes the entire world look upon India as the rising world leader.

A gap in skills and abilities reveal a golden opportunity. Flood gates of opportunities which opened under Prime Minister's leadership with every initiative undertaken have made us all realize the immense potential in each one of us.

Pandemic has invoked new ways of seeking knowledge and skill, tapped our hidden potential across the entire learning fraternity. Spirit of service has taken the center stage when it comes to any eventuality and has won accolades for the country and its citizens. Be it across any field, the spotlight today is only on the urge to learn, upskill, get qualified and be employable.

Inspiration to learn is coming from all corners today, be it our sports heroes at Olympics or those who have helped their brotherhood during every natural calamity in the recent past, urge to learn is only growing in leaps and bounds. Challenges in the past decade have made our resolve to come stronger on the learning curve.

Having National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Sector Skill Council in place was perhaps the best thing to happen in the last decade. 'Skill India Mission' has further propelled the cause having the right eco-system for skill development. Under the leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, efforts of few have already catapulted to 'Sabka Prayas'. 'Jan Dhan Yojana' has made every citizen realize the benefits of financial inclusion and therefore initiated the process of moving the entire informal economy to a formal economy. Sector skill councils across all the industries present in India are able to move ahead only because of this financial inclusion and drive their mandate be it qualifying them by recognizing their prior learning or upskilling them and qualifying them or by creating new workforce and qualifying them. Today all the sector skill councils are bridging the divide between the skill and their employers. Current dispensation at the center has touched upon so many facets of mankind that urge to learn and therefore realize its potential benefits has become central to every action that every person makes.

Construction Sector - Ocean of Opportunities

From 'Start-Up India' to 'Stand-Up India', from '100% defecation free by building toilets' to Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, from building 'Infrastructure' to building 'smart' cities, by moving from conventional energy to green energy production, construction as the second largest industry in the country has travelled a lot from being just a 'thekedar' to evolving as a professional construction contracting companies while opportunities still galore for the next few decades. With competency standards getting evolved continuously covering a larger population, newer ways of training delivery and certification are evolving to match the industry requirements. With 102 qualification pack under 18 occupations there is still a long way to go. Ever since formation of Construction Sector Skill Council, approximately a million construction workers have been trained, assessed and certified. This is just a beginning, and we have a long way ahead of us.

Be it for the presence of various schemes towards facilitating skill development, or customized model, be it for funded or non-funded modes of delivery, we at sector skill council are focused on building up the right eco-system that the industry and the country at large needs.

Improvements & Way Forward

Although skilling is one of the major initiatives that will make all the positive impact in making a paradigm shift in the way the construction industry conducts itself, there are few other concerns such as the traditional way of contracting the labour forces which require a complete overhauling. One obvious change would be to evolve these traditional labour contractors as 'professional staffing organizations'. This would go a long way in securing the interest and welfare of the construction workers and stop them from getting further exploited. Further this would ensure delivery of Employee State Insurance Scheme, Provident Fund etc., to the last mile. Ease of working, dignity of working and self sufficient transit camps for the construction workers would come much easier and stronger in view of the professional approach by the staffing organizations. Post evolving as professional organizations, staffing organizations can then look forward to move up the ladder and evolve as small time construction contractors in a more professional manner. Lastly, today not only needs many large contracting organizations but at the same time it also needs small construction contractors in large numbers, if it has to move towards a USD 5 trillion economy. Besides, packaging all kinds of trainings in one box in one go will not help in uplifting construction workers. This has to have an evolving, flexible and customized approach across the construction industry owing to different kind and scales of construction projects. Making large construction companies part take in these activities is the key to scale up the speed. Self-sustaining models should be evolved under the framework of competency models and facilitated from time to time by Construction Sector Skill Council, where the industry participates proactively and is involved in implementation of skill development initiatives as it is also the beneficiary.

Nearly 70% to 80% of the workforce is informal & 10% to 15% of the formal is not qualified i.e. those who join as supervisors / foremen. Apprentice is the way forward. Construction Skill Development Council of India (CSDCI) can facilitate evolve competency standards / content for fresher's apprenticeship program covering the various disciplines as practiced at the construction sites. Construction organizations can look forward to mandatory 'apprentice' of 6 to 36 months the qualifying criteria for all the fresher's getting employed in the organization. Apprentice is given the choice of choosing between a min. to max. number of disciplines which would facilitate the apprentice to explore his/her aptitude and see where he/she is best suitable to make a career in deciding where he/she would be best employable. Apprentice period can be anywhere between 6 to 36 months. This will predominantly take care of the on-boarding concerns of the fresher's across the construction organizations.

As once said by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 'The more importance we give to skill development, the more competent will be our youth'. Every entrepreneur in the construction industry should remember that with every upskilling initiative, with every new skill acquired, skilling, qualifying and certifying the workforce will only double the odds of success.

Narendra Deshpande

Chief Executive Officer, Construction Skill Development Council of India

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