The Government of India has launched a new initiative to conduct the skill mapping exercise of the returning citizens under the Vande Bharat Mission, named SWADES (Skilled Workers’ Arrival Database for Employment Support)
Through the partnership with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Ministry of External Affairs under the Skill India Mission of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the Government of India will make the best of the skilled workforce returning to the country due to the Corona pandemic.
Through this exercise, Skill India and other ministries aim to create a database of qualified citizens based on skills and experience, which can be used to meet the demand of Indian and foreign companies. Skill India will share the collected information with companies for suitable placement opportunities in the country. Returning citizens are required to fill a SWADES skill form, and after that, SWADES skill cards will be issued.
This card will facilitate a strategic framework for citizens who are provided with suitable employment opportunities through discussions with key stakeholders, including State Governments, industry associations and employers. The implementation organization of MSDE is supporting the implementation of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) project.
The spread of Coronavirus across the world has a significant economic impact, with thousands of workers losing their jobs and hundreds of companies closing down globally. With the limited option for further employment prospects, many citizens are returning to the country through the Vandae Bharat Mission of the Government of India. Millions of citizens have registered in various international missions to return to the country, and so far more than 35,000 people have returned to the country. One of the focus areas of Vande India in the Gulf region, where more than 8 million citizens currently live.
The online form, available at www.nsdcindia.org/swades , is designed to collect the necessary details of returning citizens. Under this form, details related to the person’s work area, job title, employment, years of experience are being collected. A toll-free call centre has also been set up to answer any question related to filling the form and for all possible help to the citizens.
The SWADES skill online form was made live yesterday, and so far around 4500 registrations have been received. Based on the data collected so far, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are the top countries from which the most significant number of Indian citizens have returned. According to Skill Mapping, these citizens were mainly involved in oil and gas, aviation, construction, tourism and hospitality, Employed in areas such as IT and ITES. These figures also showed that in states like Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka, the maximum number of workers have returned from abroad.
(Source: PIB)
