New Delhi [India], July 27 (HornbillTV): The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is implementing Suryamitra Skill Development Programme through the National Institute of Solar Energy, Gurugram since Financial Year 2015-16 to train the youth of age above 18 years as solar PV technicians for installation, operation and maintenance of solar power projects.

Confirming the information, Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Bhagwanth Khuba in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday said, “Up to June 2022, a total of 51,331 candidates have benefited from the skill development training provided under the Suryamitra programme, out of which 26,967 number of candidates gained employment.”

The third-party evaluation report of the Human Resource Development Programme submitted in May 2021 has rated the Suryamitra programme with high-level impact in terms of indicators such as scale/spread of operation, fulfilment of skill gap, work readiness of trainees and employability percentage, the minister said.

Further, the Impact Assessment Report for the Suryamitra training programme prepared by Skill Council of Green Jobs in December 2020 reported that more than 90 per cent of the trainees have reported improvement in technical knowhow, improved performance in the sector and 88 per cent of trainees reported an increase in job opportunities, he added.

National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) is an Autonomous Institute of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Government of India recently created by converting its erstwhile Solar Energy Centre to function as an Apex National Centre for research and technology development and related activities in the areas of Solar Energy Technologies in the Country, located at Gurgaon- Faridabad Road, Gwal Pahari, Gurgaon.

Under the skill development initiatives of the MNRE, NISE is mandated as the nodal agency for the implementation of the Suryamitra Skill Development Programme (SSDP). SSDP aims to develop the skills of youth, considering the opportunities for employment in the growing Solar Energy Power Projects installation, operation maintenance in India and abroad. The SSDP is also designed to prepare the candidates to become new entrepreneurs in Solar Energy sector.

The qualification of participants shall be ITI / Diploma (Electrical, Electronics, Civil, Mechanical, Fitter, Instrumentation, Welder). Special emphasis to be given to the persons coming from rural background, unemployed youth, women, SC/ST candidates. The candidates would be provided boarding and lodging facilities at the training centre by the TP. At the end of the course, proper assessment shall be made and certificates shall be issued by Skill Council of Green Jobs. Persons with higher qualifications like degree in any discipline or higher are strictly not eligible.”