Ranchi, Jan. 21: Birsi Kumari (21), a native of Kudrum village on the outskirts of Simdega town, lost her father when she was a child. She struggled hard since childhood in a family of five comprising three younger siblings and mother, who did odd jobs to feed them. Today, she is employed with Havells, a popular electrical equipment company, and earns Rs 9,700 per month.
Birsi, who is now posted at Neemrana in Rajasthan, is not a beneficiary of a sudden windfall. She and several other tribal youngsters like her in Simdega are nurturing a better future, all thanks to skill development training programmes initiated by the district administration in 2015.
"Birsi is extremely happy with her job and regularly sends money to her mother. A few days ago, she also met the deputy commissioner at whose behest she was selected for the skill development training programme and thanked him," said Prime Ministers' Rural Development Fellow Riki Shalima Xaxa, who is assisting the district administration in managing its skill development programmes.
Birsi took training in electronics and electrical trade for 45 days at Pratham Arora Centre for Education (PACE) at Thethaitangar block last year.
Hemant Korwa and his brother Jageshwar, both in their early 30s and natives of Jhunka Chhapar village in Kurdeg block, are also among the beneficiaries of the skill training programme. The brothers, who belong to Korwa tribe that is on the verge of extinction, studied till Class VIII at a village school. But, their lives changed when they enrolled themselves at PAN-IIT Kalyan Gurukul in Simdega last year.
After being trained for 45 days in masonry, they were hired by construction major Shapoorji Pallonji, a subsidiary of Tata Group. Posted in Hyderabad, each brother now earns anything between Rs 16,000 and Rs 18,000 a month.
Other tribal youths like Roshan Dungdung and Anthony Dungdung of Nongarha village in Kersai block are also working with Shapoorji Pallonji and are posted in Pune.
Simdega deputy commissioner Vijoy Kumar Singh said that Jharkhand Government MSME Tool Room in Ranchi, Indo Danish Tool Room in Jamshedpur, PAN-IIT Gurukul and PACE in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, were identified to train youths.
"In 2015, we received Rs 84 lakh under the district innovation fund. Thereafter, strategies were worked out for utilisation of funds by joining hands with reputable agencies that already have training centres," he added.
Training was given in areas of advanced machinist course, ITI course in machinist trade and hospitality sector. PACE and PAN-IIT Gurukul had set up two training centres in the district.
Some 872 candidates have so far been trained at these centres and 669 among the them are now working with well-established companies. A majority of the remaining 203 are learnt to have set up their own businesses.
"Out of 90 candidates who have secured jobs through campus placements in the hospitality sector, 41 are girls. Around, 35 girls have bagged decent jobs in the electrical sector. Some of them come to meet me from time to time. I am really very proud of them," said the deputy commissioner.
Singh added that their screening for selection of new candidates for different courses were going on in full swing.
