Discuss the short term and long term initiatives launched by government of India towards skill development. Why some express concerns that these initiatives are creating skills for those sectors where jobs are not being created? How such concerns should be addressed?

Government of India has launched various short term and long term initiatives launched towards skill development as follows:

• Skill India Mission was launched with an objective to train over 40 crore people in different skills by 2022. It includes- “National Skill Development Mission”, “National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, “Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)”
• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is India’s largest skill certification scheme with the objective to enable and mobilize a large number of Indian youth to take up outcome-based skill training and become employable and earn their livelihood.
• Establishment of first-of-its-kind “Indian Institute of Skills” at Kanpur
• Establishment of Kaushal Kendras which will serve as skilling centres and target mainly unemployed youth for training purposes
• Mantri YUVA Yojana, MSDE’s flagship scheme on entrepreneurship education and training, will provide entrepreneurship education and training to over 7 lakh students in 5 years. 

These initiatives are being criticized on the ground that these initiatives are creating skills for those sectors where jobs are not being created because of the following reasons

• Most of the skill development programs are related to Manufacturing sector where the less number of skilled jobs available
• Failure of government to create jobs due to jobless economic growth

Measures like, providing skills from secondary education level, more focusing on skills that are required for service sector as well as giving more importance to skills required for unorganized sector and also skills that promote self-employment may address above concerns.