Mumbai: The Department of Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation is launching an innovative initiative called “Short-term Employable Courses” to provide industry-relevant and employment-oriented training to youth.
During the upcoming Kumbh Mela in Nashik, a shortage of individuals skilled in performing Vedic rituals is expected. To address this, under the Short-term Employable Courses programme, ITIs in Nashik will offer a three-to-six-month ‘Vedic Sanskar Junior Assistant’ course. This will ensure that trained individuals are easily available to citizens for conducting rituals.
Every 12 years, during the Kumbh Mela in Nashik, there is a shortage of people skilled in performing Vedic rituals. To ensure smooth conduct of rituals during the 2026 Kumbh Mela, the programme will be conducted in association with Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, Ramtek across various ITIs in Nashik district. Each batch will initially have 30 students, but additional batches will be created if more youth show interest, said Mangalprabhat Lodha, Minister of Skill Development, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation.
The online inauguration of the Short-term Employable Courses programme will be performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 8, 2025. The programme will be conducted at 600 locations across the state, with master craftsmen, local artists, and experts from traditional industries invited as chief guests to honour their contributions.
Training in Emerging Sectors
To provide self-employment opportunities to rural youth and women through local training programmes, 364 special batches for women and 408 special batches for emerging sectors will be conducted. These will include courses in additive manufacturing, drone technology, electric vehicles, solar energy, cyber security, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, green hydrogen, mobile repair, social media influencing, and more.
Additionally, special training centers in Gadchiroli, Latur, Nagpur, and Amravati will prioritise courses such as candy making, food processing, and bamboo toy making according to local industry needs, Minister Lodha said.
2,506 Batches to Start in ITIs
Across the state, 419 government industrial training institutes and 141 government technical schools will run a total of 2,506 batches. This initiative aims to provide employable skill training to 75,000 trainees this year, with plans to train 1 lakh trainees next year.
