A total of 2,420 youth and women across Himachal Pradesh will receive skill development and entrepreneurship training under the Pradhan Mantri VIKAS (PM VIKAS) scheme after the Himachal Pradesh Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (HPCED) was selected as the Project Implementing Agency (PIA) by the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs.
Under the scheme, 1,700 women will be trained under the ‘Women Leadership and Entrepreneurship’ component, while 720 candidates will be covered under the ‘Non-Traditional’ component. The initiative aims to enhance employability and promote self-employment opportunities among beneficiaries across different districts of the state.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding the implementation of the scheme was signed between the Ministry of Minority Affairs and HPCED. The agreement was signed by Neha Giri (IAS), Director in the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and Deepika Khatri, Joint Director (Industries) and Executive Director of HPCED.
Officials said the training programme would focus on skill enhancement and entrepreneurship development. Participants will receive training in sectors such as Mountain Cuisine, Fashion Designing, Beauty Therapy, Leadership Development and Business Mentoring under the ‘Udyami Mitra’ initiative.
The programme will be implemented in phases across various districts of Himachal Pradesh so that a larger number of eligible beneficiaries can avail the benefits of the scheme. Along with training, participants will also be provided support related to mobilisation, certification and handholding assistance to help them move towards self-employment and entrepreneurship.
Deepika Khatri said the PM VIKAS scheme would create new opportunities for youth and women in Himachal Pradesh in the fields of skill development and entrepreneurship. She said the initiative would help improve employability while also encouraging self-reliance and small business development.
Skill development programmes are increasingly being promoted in Himachal Pradesh as employment opportunities in the organised private sector remain limited in many parts of the hill state. Experts believe that entrepreneurship-based training and local skill development initiatives can play an important role in generating livelihood opportunities, particularly for women and youth in rural and semi-urban areas.
