File photo of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
BJP's prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today came down heavily on the Centre for its lax approach towards skill development in youth and said that the Government has mastered the art of forming and disbanding committees on the issue.
He accused the Centre of losing precious time in imparting skill development training to the youth due to mis-governance.
"In 2008, the Centre formed the Ministers National Centre for Skill Development. Thereafter, it constituted a Skill Development Board. Both are doing nothing today," Mr Modi said in his inaugural address at the National Conference of Skill Development at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar today.
"Then in 2009, it came up with a National Skill Policy. An office of advisory was opened in Prime Minister's Office for skill development," Mr Modi said.
But they did not stop there and thereafter, constituted a National Skill Development Agency, he said.
"But, in 2013, it disbanded all the committees it formed from 2008-13. The Centre has mastered how to form committees and disband it. And then, they started looking at what Gujarat was doing. And Gujarat has done what the Centre could not think or do," Mr Modi said.
"In the end, they adopted the scheme of Gujarat. Our Kaushalya Vardan Kendras (KVKs) got PM's award for work in skill development," the CM said.
"If the Centre had done this in 2008, where would we have been today?" Mr Modi asked.
"Four to five years back, in his inaugural address of National Development Council (NDC) meeting, the PM had said that our focus is on skill development and we are targeting 500 works," he said.
"I asked - China is talking about 50,000 and you are talking about 500? There is a big difference," the BJP leader said.
Taking a dig at the Union government, the Gujarat Chief Minister stated that every state had taken some initiatives including Gujarat, and it would have been better had Centre also done the same.
Mr Modi also exhorted for a change in mentality towards skilled labourers.
"If you wear good clothes, you are received well, even if you are unemployed. But the reverse does not happen," Mr Modi said, adding, that labourers have played a major role in building the nation but they are always looked down upon.
"Labour and labourers have to be given dignity," he said, adding, that a large number of youths are unemployed but there is still a demand for skilled manforce.
"On one side, there is unemployment, but on the other hand, there is a demand. India needs skilled manpower. We have youth. We have everything but we have not been able to utilize them properly.
Through this seminar, we want to integrate these strengths," he said, adding, that more the skilled manpower, more would be the productivity and better manufacturing.