AP govt nod for 1.2k-cr CapEx on skill development

Visakhapatnam The YSR Congress Party Government has given administrative sanction for Rs 1,211.65 crore as CapEx (capital expenditure) and Rs 173.88 crore as Opex (operational expenditure) for skill development by establishing specialised institutes for skill improvement across Andhra Pradesh.

As per GO Ms No 10 dated May 30 issued by the Skill Development and Training (Skill) Department after clearance from Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, has decided to establish one skill university and 30 skill development colleges, one each in 25 Parliamentary constituencies and one each in four IIITs and one college at Pulivendula in YSR Kadapa district.

Along with budget for creation of posts, including non-recurring and recurring expenditure Rs 1,211.65 crore (Capex) plus Rs173.88 crore (Opex-annual average over the year three to eight years.

Commenting on the GO, Industries and IT Minister Mekapati Gowtham Reddy said the decision would help improve the employment quotient of the youth across the State in a short time. The GO stated that the government was keen on creating human resources capital to improve the State economy at the macro level.

The Chief Minister wants to focus on achieving a new paradigm in skill development by creating job opportunities for youth by sharpening their domain knowledge and employability quotient with particular emphasis on industry and market alignment as per the vision prepared by the State Government for a skill ecosystem with extreme focus on meeting the industry demand and future skill needs.

Development of skill by establishing colleges specialising in the area would help solve the unemployment problem particularly during and after the pandemic, said AK Balaji, president of Visakha Autonagar Small-Scale Industrialists' Welfare Association.