"I never saw a
discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though
fast rooted they travel about as far as we do."
—John Muir (American,
1838-1914)
Word for the day
Avuncular (Adj)
Of, relating to, or
characteristic of an uncle, e.g., avuncular affection.
Malice towards none
Augusta may be for Sonia
Gandhi what Bofors was to Rajiv Gandhi, but who would be the V. P. Singh to
her?
First random thought this morning
On second thought, I feel like converting. Anyways it's a season of
turncoats. I find that regardless of all his rhetoric and idiosyncrasies, Trump
is a serious and successful businessman. He will be much convenient to deal
with than a Democrat Hillary.
Skilling India - 2
I had the opportunity of working with some of the active
participants in the Prime Minister Skill Development Scheme. After having
witnessed the training process and assessing the training content &
trainers' quality, I have mixed feelings.
During the course of my engagement with the program, many times I
felt that this scheme might not be much different from MNREGA or its previous
incarnation, viz., JLN Grameen Rozgar Yozna. The facilitator, the trainer &
the trainee all appeared more interested in the immediate payout rather than
the long term impact of the capacity building of the intended beneficiaries.
Without getting into the debate over issues of quality and utility
of the training under the scheme, and potential corruption involved in that, I
find the endeavor lacking conceptually.
I found that there is no primary driving force behind the skill
development mission. It just addresses the status quo; no "forward
looking" involved. Such a massive exercise, simply ignores the global
trends in automation & robotics changing the economic landscape faster than
ever.
The prospective trainees just go out in the market, search for the
"Required" board hanging outside some work place and seek training so
that they could get into that work place. There is no aptitude test of the
trainee, demand assessment of the skill, or sustainability of the business that
would employ that skill.
Imagine, half a million embroidery workers getting trained in
three years only to find that automatic machines have replaced their skills; or
a million dairy workers getting skill training only to discover that all dairy
farms have been fully automated; or five million commercial drivers trained to
find that vehicles needing a driver are no longer produced.
Arguably, the training improves workers' immediate employability.
It may also aid the industry inasmuch as it augments the availability of
skilled and semi skilled workers. The logical extension is productivity
enhancement. A deeper study is required to establish these benefits.
But, my point is that should the skill building mission not have a
larger vision. Should it be perpetuating the status quo or should it be forward
looking?
And for god sake why do we need 100,000 yoga teachers, when a free
app on everyone's smart phone can guide everyone interested in learning yoga. A
Rs100 DVD can do the trick in schools. The required TV set and DVD player will
cost just one salary of the yoga teacher.
Whereas the human resources of India are widely acknowledged as an
asset with great potential, we urgently need to recognize this demographic
profile as the solemn accountability and responsibility of India to the world.
The global community has always valued the resource rich nations
and expected them to behave in a responsible manner to preserve the global
order.
The capital rich western world has been expected to help the poor
and starved of the world. The world looked forward to them to fund
technological advancement, preservation of cultural heritage, assisting global
growth and development. Even after taking full cognizance of the allegations of
imperialism and suppression, the financially rich communities have worked for
the betterment of human life by funding technological innovation, life science
research & development, productivity enhancement, and development
assistance to the economically lagging world.
Similarly, nations rich in natural resources like minerals etc.
have been expected to prospect and exploit these resources in optimum manner to
assist the sustenance and growth of the global economy.
Since India possesses the largest pool of prospective workers for
the world, it is the solemn responsibility of all Indians to prospect, grow,
and develop this resource for the larger benefit of the global community,
considering the future trends and requirements. Training plumbers,
electricians, and construction labor for gulf countries may just not be
sufficient.
This is even more pertinent in the context of the current global
financial crisis. In places like Europe and Japan the root cause of the crisis
could be traced to the aging demographic profile. China is also likely to join
the club in a decade or so. Under the circumstances it is the solemn
responsibility of India to provide educated, skilled and trained workforce to
the global economy.
"Skill India" and "Make in India" are noble
ideas for human resource development. But we need to make sure that these do not
end up as mere government schemes or political slogans.
If you ask me, I would focus on the following five skills in the
initial phase of the mission:
(a) Old age & child
care: The changes in demography (more old people & more working couples),
will keep this skill relevant. It is at least 50yr when robots become preferred
worker to take up this job.
(b) Religious preachers:
Each individual will have their own problems and would need a unique
personalized solution. Robots may not take up this job any time soon.
(c) Sportspersons: Despite
a large number of youth hooking up to virtual gaming, physical sports remain as
popular.
(d) Artists &
entertainers: Regardless of advancement in technology, painters, singers,
sculptors, performers, moviemakers might still remain in demand.
(e) Police personnel
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