Franchisees storm into skill development ministry’s office
The alleged large-scale irregularities involving discrimination in seats allocation and corruption under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
Disgruntled representatives of skill training partners and franchisee centres from across the country stormed into the office of union ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship on Wednesday.
Alleging large-scale irregularities involving discrimination in seats allocation and corruption under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana – PMKVY 2.0, the protesters shouted slogans and staged sit-in inside the ministry office for over an hour.
Already reeling under heavy debt as they set up their centres investing somewhere between Rs5-50 lakhs with borrowed money, many of them threatened to commit suicide if their demands were not met.
Sunita Kumari, training partner in Taranagar, Rajasthan said that she had set up training centre by investing Rs10 lakhs but she had been denied seats allocation.
“I borrowed money to set up the centre which was affiliated and approved by the ministry. But I have not been given seats allocation for training the candidates. I am under heavy debt and will have no option but to commit suicide. I am now being told that NSDC is unable to allot seats. But some of the big players are being allocated seats ,” she said.
Despite their efforts the protesters could not meet the minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy who was travelling to Chhatisgarh
Ministry’s execution arm, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC,) has suspended seat allocation to training partners for training candidates in Rajasthan, UP and Haryana, where large scale fudging of trainee enrolment data was reported. An NSDC probe revealed that 40% trainee enrolment at the franchisee centres were bogus, which caused loss to the public exchequer.