PIB – 01 October 2021

DIGISAKSHAM

Focus: GS III- Growth and Development

Why in News?

Minister for Labour and Employment has launched DigiSaksham.

About  DigiSaksham:

• It is a digital skills programme to enhance the employability of youth by imparting digital  skills  that are required in an increasingly technology driven era.
• This joint initiative with Microsoft India is an extension of the Government’s ongoing programs to support the youth from rural and semi-urban areas.
• Through DigiSaksham initiative, free of cost training in digital skills including basic skills as well as advance computing, will be provided to more than 3 lakh youths in the first year.
• The Jobseekers can access the training through National Career Service (NCS) Portal (www.ncs.gov.in). 
• The initiative gives priority to the job-seekers of semi urban areas belonging to disadvantaged communities, including those who have lost their jobs due to Covid-19 pandemic.
• Under the DigiSaksham initiative, there will be basically three types of training viz. Digital Skills – Self paced learning, VILT mode training (Virtual Instructor led) and ILT mode training (Instructor led). 
• The ILT training which is in person training would be conducted at the Model Career Centres (MCCs) and National Career Service Centres (NCSC) for SCs/STs across the country.
• Through this initiative, nearly one crore active jobseekers  registered on National Career Service (NCS)  Portal will be able to access training in areas like Java Script, Data Visualisation, Advance Excel, Power Bi, HTML, Programming languages, software development fundamentals, Introduction to coding , etc, equipping them with the skills required in a digital economy. DigiSaksham will be implemented in the field by Aga Khan Rural Support Programme India (AKRSP-I). 

SACRED PORTAL

Focus: GS II- Government policies and Interventions

About Senior Able Citizens for Re Employment in Dignity (SACRED) Portal

• An IT portal to bring the employment seeker senior citizens and employment providers on one platform will be developed and maintained by an agency identified through a transparent process.
• An individual senior citizen will get oneself registered on the portal with his relevant education, past experience, skills and the areas of interest. The person will also select keywords regarding expected tasks, which will enable the job providers find them automatically. Details can be updated by the Senior citizens.
• Any job provider – individual / firm/ company/ partnership/ Voluntary Organisation etc. can also register on the portal. The job provider will specify the task involved and the number of senior citizens that are required to complete it.
• Voluntary Organizations will help the senior citizens in applying for these jobs. No user charges will be taken from any of the senior citizens by any Voluntary Organizations. Therefore, the Employment Portal will serve not only the senior citizens seeking employment, but also the employers, the SHGs, the senior citizens gaining skills, and other agencies/ individuals.
• The Employment Exchange Portal will not be a guarantee for getting a job/ employment or selling of the products of the SHGs, or for any other activity. It will act as an interactive platform where stakeholders meet each other virtually and decide on the course of action with mutual respect, consent and understanding.
• Any individual/ firm/ company/ agency will seek the services of the senior citizens in respect of those tasks where experience can naturally outweigh hiring new personnel and providing them training, etc. Example can be short term employment, contract for a project, teaching, counselling jobs. The Employer and the employee may extend their partnership beyond the short term, too, on mutual consent and respect basis.

Modalities: Web portal will be developed through NIC. There will be adequate publicity both among elders and enterprises to enroll on the portal.

Cost: An amount of Rs. 10 Cr would be provided for funding for the platform development along with maintenance grant of @ Rs. 2 Cr per year for 5 years. Expenditure would be incurred on actual basis. An amount of Rs. 10 cr would be spent annually for publicity about the portal in various business enterprises.

SAGE (SENIOR CARE AGEING GROWTH ENGINE) INITIATIVE; SAGE PORTAL

Focus: GS II- Government policies and Interventions

Why in News?

The Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, launched the SAGE (Seniorcare Aging Growth Engine) initiative and SAGE portal to support India’s elderly persons.

About SAGE:

Nodal: Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment

Objectives

• To focus on addressing the needs of India’s fast rising elderly population, to select, support and create a “one-stop access” of elderly care products and services,
• To encourage the selected “startups” based on the innovative products and services address the services from health, housing, care centers, technology access linked to needs ranging from finances, food and wealth management to legal guidance.

SAGE Portal:

• In order to provide a transparent mechanism for selecting the start-ups, a dedicated portal has been designed.
• All proposals will be uploaded and selection will be based on blind review by an independent screening committee of experts.
• The first set of selected startups will be hosted on the portal in about two months’ time.
• Shri Chandrasekhar Buddha CEO of NEAT Ministry of Education, and Dr. K. Elangovan, Assistant Innovation Director, MHRD, have designed the portal in record time.

Equity support- 

• The Inter Ministerial committee for the SCWF has considered for funding of about Rs. 100 Cr as equity support to the selected start-ups @ maximum Rs. 1 Cr per Startup. For the current year, Rs. 20 Cr is made available.  In the next five years, about 100 such innovative start-ups will be funded under the project.

Outcomes expected: 

• SAGE project aims to identify, evaluate, verify, aggregate, and deliver products, solutions, services which can be directly provided to the stakeholders, giving them wide choice to select the products, solutions and services that would suit their requirements and help in improving their quality of life.
• The MoSJE will act as the facilitator in the entire process enabling the elderly to access the credible products through these identified start-ups.