Port Blair, July 15: The Government of India with the objective to improve the livelihoods of needy MGNREGS workers by providing skill training which is expected to lead either to self-employment or wage employment of such workers introduced Project UNNATIunder Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). This project intends to upgrade the skills of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA workers and thereby improve their livelihoods so that they can move from current partial employment to full employment. Accordingly, the Empowered Committee of MoRD, GOI has allocated and approved targets for the UT of A&N Islands to provide skilled training to 100 MGNREGA workers between 2020 to 2022.
Under the project skill development training is to be provided to one adult member (age 18-45 years) of all such households which have completed 100 days of work under MGNREGS in the previous financial years since 2018-19. This project is being conducted through convergence between Rural Skills Division of Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and KrishiVigyan Kendra (KVK) of Ministry of Agriculture with MGNREGS Division of MoRD. Therefore, the institutes namely Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) &DeenDayalUpadhyayaGrameenKaushalyaYojana(DDU-GKY) under ANIRLM and KrishiVigyan Kendra (KVK) shall be providing various skill development trainings to the needy eligible beneficiaries of MGNREGA.
Moving ahead to achieve the laid down targets, the Directorate of RD, PRIs& ULBs, State Nodal Department of MGNREGA, initiated the 1st batch of training under Project UNNATIwith the support of RSETI, Port Blair for MGNREGA beneficiaries of Mayabunder Block.
The Programme was inaugurated by Mr. DweependuHalder, the Block Development Officer, Mayabunder/Sr. ProgrammeOfficer (MGNREGA)at Panchayat Samiti Hall, Mayabunderin the presence ofMGNREGA staff, SRLM staff and the faculties of Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI). The week long training programmeis on the subject area of vegetable cultivation; pickle and papad making. A total of 16eligible MGNREGA beneficiaries interested to take up selfemployment training is participating in the training. The MGNREGA beneficiaries undergoing training is also paid stipend as per the scheme guidelines.
Besides training of MGNREGA beneficiaries, the SHG members of DAY-NRLM scheme will also be imparted training on the same areas through RSETI in various batches. Nearly 80 SHG ladies will be imparted training in the aforesaid training programme.
Mr. Suneel Anchipaka, Secretary (RD/Panchayat)/Commissioner (MGNREGA) is of believe that the execution of Project UNNATI will be very useful for the participants as the eligible MGNREGA beneficiaries can improve their livelihoods by upgrading their skills thereby moving from current partial employment to full employment.This convergence of MGNREGA and ANIRLM shall be fruitful and enable the beneficiaries to have self employment opportunities.He also informed that very soon the next batches of trainings under Project UNNATI will be commence in other blocks also.