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PM Modi unveils courses to train 100k frontline staff
About the crash courses, the PM said the Covid warriors will be trained in six customised roles — Home Care Support, Basic Care Support, Advanced Care Support, Emergency Care Support, Sample Collection Support, and Medical Equipment Support.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched six crash course programmes to train and upskill over 100,000 frontline workers to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic even as he stressed that the “virus is present” and urged the people to remain cautious.
“The virus is present, and the possibility of mutation is also there. The second wave of the pandemic illustrated the kind of challenges that the virus may present to us. The country needs to stay prepared to meet the challenges and training more than one lakh (100,000) frontline warriors is a step in that direction,” said the Prime Minister.
Till Friday, India administered 272,072,645 doses of vaccines, one of the world’s largest vaccination drives, although in per capita terms, the country lags behind nations with smaller populations. Apart from the Covishield and Covaxin vaccines that are manufactured in the country, India has also procured stocks of Russian Sputnik V which will be produced in India from the second half of the year.
During the virtual address, Modi said India took up the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and ramped up its capabilities related to Covid care and treatment.
“Status of PPE kits, testing and other medical infrastructure related to Covid care and treatment bears testimony to the efforts (of government),” he said.
He also sought to assure that the central government is committed to providing free Covid vaccination for everyone starting June 21.
About the crash courses, the PM said the Covid warriors will be trained in six customised roles — Home Care Support, Basic Care Support, Advanced Care Support, Emergency Care Support, Sample Collection Support, and Medical Equipment Support.
“These courses are designed to skill as well as upskill the health care workforce. 111 such centres are being started from today across the nation under the Skill India programme. With this, we will have more than one lakh new skilled health care frontline workers in the next few months,” said the PM.
“Given the size of our population, it is necessary to keep increasing the number of doctors, nurses and paramedics in the health sector… The seriousness and the pace at which the work on preparing the health professionals is going on now is unprecedented,” he added.
The courses have been designed as a special programme under the Central Component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 3.0, with the total financial outlay of ₹276 crore, the PMO said.
Modi also praised the Centre’s Skill India Mission, saying that the Covid-19 pandemic has proven the importance of ‘skilling, re-skilling and up-skilling’.
“Today Skill India Mission is helping millions of this country’s youth every year in providing training according to the needs of the day. Since last year the Ministry of Skill Development has trained lakhs of health workers across the country, even amid the pandemic,” he said.
The Prime Minister lauded health professionals like ASHA workers, anganwadi and other workers deployed in village dispensaries, describing them as one of the strong pillars of our health sector who are often left out of the discussion.
With agency inputs
