GSLV Successfully Launches India’s Latest Communication Satellite GSAT-6

GSLV Successfully Launches India’s Latest Communication Satellite GSAT-6

In its ninth flight (GSLV-D6) conducted today, (August 27, 2015), India's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, equipped with the indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), successfully launched GSAT-6, the country's latest communication satellite, into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO). The achieved orbit is very close to the intended one. The launch took place from the Second Launch Pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR (SDSC SHAR), Sriharikota, the spaceport of India. This was the fifth developmental flight of GSLV and the third to carry the indigenous CUS. GSLV-D6 was intended to further test and qualify the CUS developed by ISRO.

In its oval shaped GTO, the GSAT-6 satellite is now orbiting the Earth with a perigee (nearest point to Earth) of 168 km and an apogee (farthest point to Earth) of 35,939 km with an orbital inclination of 20.01 deg with respect to the equator.

After a smooth 29 hour countdown, the 416 tonne, 49 m tall GSLV-D6 carrying the 2117 kg GSAT-6, lifted off at 16:52 Hrs IST. About seventeen minutes after lift-off, GSAT-6 was successfully placed in GTO.

At 4.8 seconds before the countdown reached zero, the four liquid propellant strap-on stages of GSLV-D6, each carrying 42 tonne of liquid propellants, were ignited. At count zero and after confirming the normal performance of all the four strap-on motors, the mammoth 139 tonne solid propellant first stage core motor was ignited and GSLV lifted off. The major phases of the flight included the core motor burn-out, strap on burn-out, ignition of the second stage, separation of the core motor together with strap-ons, payload fairing separation, second stage separation, CUS ignition and its timely shut down after satisfactory performance. Following this, GSAT-6 separated from CUS about 17 minutes after launch.

Soon after its injection into GTO, the two solar arrays of GSAT-6 were automatically deployed and the Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka took control of GSAT-6.

In the coming days, GSAT-6's orbit will be raised from its present GTO to the final circular Geostationary Orbit (GSO) by firing the satellite's Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) in stages. The satellite will be commissioned into service after the completion of orbit raising operations, deployment of its 6 m wide sieve shaped unfurlable antenna, the satellite’s positioning in its designated orbital slot of 83 degree East longitude in the GSO and in-orbit testing of its communication payloads.

Today’s flight of GSLV underscores the success of ISRO in mastering the highly complex cryogenic rocket propulsion technology. 

Text of PM’s address at the Global ‘Call to Action’ Summit 2015

Text of PM’s address at the Global ‘Call to Action’ Summit 2015

My colleague Shri J. P. Nadda, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, Shri. Kesetebirhan Admasu, Minister of Health, Govt. of Ethiopia, Hon’ble Ministers from participating countries, representatives of Development Partners, friends from the civil society, the private sector, media, academia, national and international speakers and esteemed delegates. On behalf of my Government and all the co-hosts for this international summit, I warmly welcome you to the Global Call to Action Summit 2015.

This is a landmark occasion, as for the first time, the Global Call to Action Summit is being held outside USA. My Government is honoured to host this Summit. All those delegates who have travelled a long distance to attend this Summit – I heartily welcome you to India and to New Delhi. I am delighted to be with you this morning.

This two-day Summit, celebrating the achievements of the participating countries in the area of Maternal and Child Health, was conceptualized to accelerate joint leadership for ending preventable deaths among mothers and children. It will showcase the power of new partnerships, innovations and systems to bring about improvements in life-saving interventions. I firmly believe that this Summit will provide a highly effective platform to address common challenges that will help us achieve the desired goals.

How we shape the world in the next 15 years will make the difference between prosperous, optimistic nations, and insecurity and unrest. I am glad to see 24 nations present here to join together in their commitment to end preventable maternal and child death. This is a “Call to Action” to all of us to seize this opportunity and think big.

Today, as we gather here to discuss strategies and as we transit from the Millennium Development Goals toSustainable Development Goals, let us acknowledge the sad reality that the world continues to lose about 289 thousand mothers and 6.3 million under-5 children every year. The 24 priority countries participating in the Summit contribute nearly 70% of the preventable maternal and child deaths. For India, with its birth cohort of 26 million, the challenges are formidable but the commitment to succeed is also as strong. What, however, does offer hope is that most of these deaths can be prevented through simple yet effective and proven interventions. This forms the key peg for this Summit. This also formed a crucial part of the joint statement issued subsequent to the visit of the US President in January this year, where we agreed to further accelerate the joint leadership to end all preventable maternal and child deaths.

Keeping aside the work that still needs to be done, there have been significant achievements on the global front in the area of maternal and child health. Looking at the big picture, we find that in 1990, India’s under-five mortality rate stood at 126 while the global average was 90. In 2013, this figure dropped to 49 against a global average of 46. Therefore, the gap to the global average reduced from 36 points in 1990, to just 3 points in 2013 reflecting that India has achieved under-five mortality rate decline at an accelerated pace compared to global rate of decline. What this translates into is this: India is likely to reach close to achieving the MDG target if the current trend of annual decline is sustained.

In addition to this remarkable achievement, another truly historic accomplishment has been the victory over Polio. India was declared as “Polio-Free” on 27 March 2014. From being a country which accounted for more than half of the global polio cases in 2009, to being declared free of the wild polio virus: the journey reflects India’s deep commitment to child health.

I am also happy to share with you today another major milestone achieved by India. India has eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus. The validation for this has happened much before the global target date of December 2015. This gives us the confidence to achieve other targets well before the target date.

To sustain the efforts of being a Polio-free and maternal and neonatal tetanus free nation, and to accelerate the full immunization coverage in the country, my Government has added to the world’s largest immunization drive another mission known as “Mission Indradhanush”. It focusses on vaccinating the left-outs. It also targets to accelerate the current increase in annual rate of immunization from existing 1% to more than 5% per year. This will help us achieve more than 90% coverage by 2020, which otherwise would take more than 25 years at the current pace. The first phase has been successfully implemented. We want to ensure that no child in India dies of a vaccine-preventable disease.

India has always partnered with the global efforts on issues of child and maternal health. India is the first country to respond to the global commitment to reduce newborn mortality, subsequent to the launch of Global Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) at the World Health Assembly in June 2014. India launched the India Newborn Action Plan (INAP) in September 2014, targeting reduction in Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) and still births to single digit by 2030. India also responded by acting on the first “Call to Action” through its commitment and launch of RMNCH+A.

These remarkable successes in the field of maternal and child health have been possible through our National Health Mission (NHM). The Mission, with its urban and rural health components – perhaps one of the largest public health programmes in the world – has resulted in improved health outcomes. 52% of India’s under-5 mortality is contributed to by deaths of newborns in the first month of life. Under the NHM, our approach emphasises a continuum of newborn care both at the community and facility level.

Our focus has been to get pregnant women to have safe delivery in our institutions. We launched an ambitious program – Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) – wherein incentives were given for delivering in public institutions to the beneficiaries directly. As a result, today, more than 75% of the deliveries take place in our institutions. This has directly contributed to reduction in maternal mortality. We are fully aware that out-of-pocket expenses remain a key barrier for women to access timely health care and services. To overcome this, we have launched a programme called Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) under which every woman delivering in a public health institution as well as the newborn is entitled to free and cashless health services, with an assured provision of free drugs, diagnostics and diet besides free to and fro transport. This has helped to further improve our institutional deliveries.

Not only are the mothers provided focused health services, but individual beneficiary tracking is being done through the countrywide Maternal and Child Health Tracking System, which ensures close tracking of inputs and outputs at the level of service provision. More than 92 million mothers and 78 million children have already been registered so far in the system.

One of our major concerns is equity. As a step towards ensuring equitable health services across regions that suffer from intra-state disparities, and to bring about sharper improvements in health outcomes, a total of 184 poorest performing districts all over the country have been identified. Special efforts are being made to put in more resources and focussed programmes in these areas.

One of the flagship programmes of my Government is the ‘Swacch Bharat Abhiyaan’ (The Clean India Campaign) . As a part of this large campaign, the Health Ministry has launched the Kayakalp scheme to encourage public health facilities to maintain high standards of hygiene and sanitation, as I firmly believe that clean and hygienic environment is the stepping stone to a healthy nation. To save and educate the girl child we have launched an ambitious program – Beti bachao Beti padhao. We need to ensure that the girl child survives, thrives and plays a very crucial role in society.

I have witnessed people getting poorer because of unfortunate health episodes. We need to institutionalise a system where marginalised communities receive universal health care and financial protection. We must experiment and learn from each other. India stands ready to boost its commitment and partner with other countries and move forward on our promise to end maternal and child deaths and provide a better life to the adolescent. I invite you, to commit to bold measures and hold each other accountable to these promises.

As we assemble here, we need to send a very very strong message not only to ourselves, not only to the 24 countries present here, but to the entire world. The message is of our commitment, that we will ensure that every woman, every child who can be saved will be saved. We also need to make a clarion call to the world to join hands in taking such steps that would ensure this. India stands committed to not only allocate resources towards this in our country, but also to help the world and all those countries which needed any support. It is my personal vision and my Government’s firm commitment.

While every country present here has something to offer, India also has a wealth of experience. India has done well in many ways and would be extremely happy to share its experience with other countries. Last year, I had made a commitment of assisting the SAARC countries in keeping it Polio free. We have also made a commitment to provide Pentavalent vaccines to such SAARC countries as would need it. We will offer whatever experience we have to the world community.

India would be happy to assist any country with technology, system strengthening and programme implementation capsules. We could train personnel and skill them for better management of child sickness in our Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) as well as share our experience at home based new born care. India’s rich experience in Universal immunization and particularly its experience this year with the Mission Indradhanush could be shared with all the countries. We had offered this to SAARC countries earlier. Today I repeat this offer to all countries present here. This will be apart from our offer of support for Polio eradication.

I again warmly welcome you all to this important international Summit. I hope the next two days would provide a new direction to the global community in its journey towards ending maternal and child deaths. 

NITI Aayog launches India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 - An Interactive Energy Platform

NITI Aayog launches India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 - An Interactive Energy Platform

NITI Aayog launched the second version of the India Energy Security Scenarios 2047 calculator (IESS 2047), an open source web based tool. The tool aims to explore a range of potential future energy scenarios for India, for diverse energy demand and supply sectors leading up to 2047. It explores India’s possible energy scenarios across energy supply sectors such as solar, wind, bio fuels, oil, gas, coal and nuclear and energy demand sectors such as transport, industry, agriculture, cooking and lighting appliances. The model allows users to interactively make energy choices, and explore a range of outcomes for the country-from carbon dioxide emissions and import dependence to land use.

The tool was launched by the NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya in presence of a select gathering at a function at the Federation House in New Delhi yesterday. In his remarks, the Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog, Shri Aravind Panagariya said The IESS 2047 calculator has already been playing an instrumental role in shaping India’s energy policy. With the launch of the second version, one can look forward to a more comprehensive policy discourse on India’s future energy planning by policy makers, academicians, private sector and other stakeholders. The Member, NITI Aayog, Dr. Bibek Debroy, lauded the efforts in operationalization of IESS 2047 calculator. He said the interactive tool will offer policy makers to create an energy pathway which is secure and addresses the need of the people and climate. The other Member of NITI Aayog, Dr. VKSaraswat expressed hope that the IESS 2047 calculator will support India’s future energy planning to help the country become self-sufficient in energy. It will support the Government’s vision of achieving power for all and 175 GW of renewables by 2022, rural electrification and reducing import dependency.

The purpose of the IESS tool is to engage various stakeholders in the country’s energy planning and facilitate informed debates at different levels. This tool will enable policy makers and parliamentarians make a more secure and sustainable energy future for India. The tool allows the user develop a secure future pathway and suggest current policy interventions for the same. The tool has been developed in consultation with multiple stakeholders, such as think tanks, industry bodies and research organizations. The UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is the initiative partner with NITI Aayog in this project. More than 20 countries have now developed their own energy/climate calculators, such as China, Bangladesh and South Africa. 

CUT OFF FOR IAS PRE 2015

CUT OFF FOR IAS PRE 2015
Dear friends
there is still confusion over some 3-4 questions,but most of the candidate is getting marks in band of 95-110.so in my view it should be somewhere between 95-105. it is better that those who are getting greater than 100 marks should start preparation of mains.
Note:correct cut off prediction is not possible.this prediction is on basis of feedback received from candidates and seeing the level of difficulty.

first of all candidate should now focus on syllabus and old question paper of their optional subject.prepare all important topic thoroughly for 15-20 days and then switch over towards the GS.

#IASPRE2015 #GSPAPER1 #SOLUTION.#UPSCIASPRE #SOLUTION

Dear Candidates SAMVEG IAS is providing Tentative Solution of GS Paper1 .there may be  variation of 5%.if you feel that some question need correction.please discuss it.

set c
1: CABINET MISSION:A
2: NATINAL PARK THAT CLIMATE VARIES:D
3: AMNESTY international: b
4:which one was made earliest:B
5:  element of feudal system in indian history :d
6: bio carbon fund initiative managed by: d (http://www.biocarbonfund-isfl.org/)
7: india is member of :B east asia summit (http://mea.gov.in/aseanindia/about-eas.htm)
8:steel production industry requires import of :
9: provision of 5th and 6th schedule :a
10 :regarding union govt : c
11 :  custodian of indian constitution : d
12 : accelerated irrigation benefits programme and CADP : B
13 :genetic engineering committe constituted under : C , http://envfor.nic.in/major-initiatives/geac-clearances
14: Mekang ganga cooperation,which is not part of : C ,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong%E2%80%93Ganga_Cooperation
15 : BASEL III : B
16 :  WESTERLIES BLOWS : B ,it blow between 30-60 deg in both lattitude and not between 30n to 60s.
17 : IOR-ARC : D ,none
18 : split in congress : A ,swadeshi movement
19 : living root bridges are found in india : A,meghalaya ,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekong%E2%80%93Ganga_Cooperation
20 ; tides occur because of : d;all
21 : use of IRS Satellite : A
22 : TROPICAL WET  EVERGREEN  FOREST FOUND IN INDIA : C
23 : IND ARC :D ,http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/indias-arctic-observatory-to-aid-climate-change-studies/article6405727.ece
24 : FOREST CARBON PARTNERSHIP FACILITY :C
25 : RECENT CLASSICAL LANGUAGE :  A
26 : BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL :C
27 : MEDITTERRANIAN SEA  : jordan:b
28 TEAK : A
29 BEIJING DECLARATION AND PLATEFORM FOR ACTION : C
30 : CHaracterstic climate region : b ,equatorial
31 GDP INCREASE: B
32 legislative council : D
33 TO UPHOLD SOVEREIGNITY : D
34 ECOSYSTEM : C
35 PANCHAYAT RAJ SYSTEM : C
36  COMPONENT OF  MONETARY POLICY :C
37 INFLATION IN INDIA : C,http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/111314/what-methods-can-government-use-control-inflation.asp
38 NUCLEAR POWER COUNTRY UNDER NPT : A,CHINA ,FRANCE
39 WELFARE STATE : :B
40  SUBSTITUTION OF STEEL FOR WOODEN PLOUGH :C
41 PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM OF INDIA : D,COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY
42 H1N1 VIRUS : D SWINE FLU
43 BIO TOILET IN RAILWAYS : D
44 PROBLEM OF INTERNATIONAL LIQUIDITY RELATED TO : C,http://www.preservearticles.com/2012020222404/what-are-the-problems-of-international-liquidity.html
45 FUEL CELL: A,http://www.fuelcellenergy.com/why-fuelcell-energy/how-do-fuel-cells-work/
46 KALAMKARI PAINTING :A,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalamkari
47 :OBjective of seed village concept : B
48  REDUCTION OF DEFICIT BUDGET : A
49 GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION STATUS  :C
50 IREDA is :C,http://www.ireda.gov.in/
51 : PMJDY :C
52 : 14th FC :A,ECONOMIC SURVEY
53 ;FORTALEZA DECLARATION : B,BRICS
54:  A DECREASE IN TAX TO GDP RATIO INDICATES : C
55 CYCLONE IN SOUTH ATLANTIC : B,
56 EASTERNMOST & WESTERNMOST STATES:D,GUJRAT AND ARUNACHAL
57  DPSP : C
58  HIGHEST WEIGHT IN INDEX OF CORE EIGHT INDUSTRIES :B,http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=115130
59   NP WITH FLOATING VEGETATION : B,KEIBUL LAMJAO

60 NIF : A ,http://www.nif.org.in/
61 EXCESSIVE USE OF NITROGENOUS FERTILIZERS : C,http://homeguides.sfgate.com/negative-effects-nitrogenrich-fertilizer-environment-72041.html
62  IUCN & CITES :B,https://www.cites.org/eng/disc/what.php, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Union_for_Conservation_of_Nature
63 FAIR AND REMUNERATION OF SUGARCANE IS APPROVED BY: A
64 EASTWARD FLOW OF EQUATORIAL COUNTER CURRENT :A
65 SRISAILLAM : A
66 ROWLATT SATYAGRAH : A
67  EBOLA VIRUS : B
68 FLY ASH : A,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fly_ash
69 DUGONG :C
70 CRITICS OF COLONIALISM : A
71 GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROSPECT REPORT: D
72 SLR REDUCTION :C
73 NANO TECHNOLOGY :C
74 MARKET IN AGRICULTURE REGULATED BY :B
75 NATINAL AQUATIC ANIMAL : C
76  CONGRESS SOCIALIST PARTY :D
77  RAJYA SABHA : B
78 : GOI ACT 1919 : B
79 CPI BY :C
80 ICE CUBE ,PARTICLE DETECTOR: D,https://icecube.wisc.edu/
81 AGREEMENT ON AGRI AND PEACE CLAUSE : C,WTO
82 NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY :C
83 GOLAN HEIGHTS IS  :B
84 CONVETIBILITY OF RUPEES :C
85 MATCHING REGION :A
86 TRIBUTARIES OF GODAVARI : D
87 JOINT SITTING :A
88COMBINATION OF MANGROVE,EVERGRENN AND DECIDUOUS :B
89 KINGDOM ASSOCIATED WITH BUDHA :D
90 OZONE DEPLETION : B
91 BABUR RELATED :D
92 NITI AYOG :D
93 RIO+20 :A
94 EXECUTIVE POWER OF UNION :D
95 GOLDILOCKS ZONE :C
96 TANJORE COAST :B
97 :NEW CITY ON BANK OF RIVER KRISHNA :c
98 Ist president of cong : b
99 green climate fund :a
100 indira gandhi peace prize 2014 :c

The hands that feed us

As India celebrates its 68th year of independence, it is time to pause and look back at the major challenges we have faced since Independence and how they were overcome, as well as at the mistakes and follies we committed so that we don’t repeat them. In 1947, undivided India had a population of 390 million. But overnight, on August 15, India was responsible for the destiny of 330 million people. The other 60 million went to Pakistan — 30 million in West Pakistan and another 30 million in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

 A majority of these 330 million people were rural, quite poor, illiterate, and had a very short life expectancy. Gandhi rightly said that India lives in its villages, and feeding people well was the biggest challenge to ensure healthy and happy lives for them. But we also wanted to transform our society fast, develop modern industrial goods and outlook. So, after a few initial years of absorbing the shock of Partition and stabilising society, Jawaharlal Nehru led India on to a socialist path with a mixed economy framework. Heavy industrialisation under state ownership was the darling of development policy and a symbol of modernisation. For food, however, India relied on supplies from the United States under Public Law 480 (PL-480) against rupee payments, as India did not have much foreign exchange to buy large quantities of food in international markets. 

The folly of this set-up became apparent in the mid-1960s, when the US suspended wheat supplies temporarily (due to some political differences) at a time when India was facing back-to-back droughts and the country was literally living from “ship to mouth”. But the folly of state-led heavy industrialisation and import substitution, which kept India trapped in what the late Raj Krishna called the “Hindu rate of growth” of 3.5 per cent for decades, is still being debated. India was quick to learn from its PL-480 mistake and neglect of agriculture. It realised that its political freedom could be imperilled if it was not self-reliant in basic food production. But all of India’s foreign exchange reserves in the mid-1960s could not buy more than eight million tonnes (mt) of wheat in the international market, while it was importing 10 mt under PL-480. So, India did not have much of an option but to become self-sufficient in the production of basic staples

. India imported 18,000 tonnes of high yielding varieties (HYV) of wheat from Mexico in 1966, and ushered in the Green Revolution. Where does India stand today in terms of its agriculture? While the population has grown from 330 million in 1947 to almost 1.25 billion, that is by almost 3.8 times, our wheat production has increased by almost 15 times (from about 6.5 mt in 1951 to 96 mt in 2014). Rice production has gone up by more than five times (from 20.6 mt in 1951 to 106.5 mt in 2014), maize production by more than 14 times (from 1.7 mt to 24.4 mt), milk by eight times (from 17 mt to 137 mt), fish by 12 times, and potatoes by 26 times. Cotton production has also increased from three million bales in 1951 to 37 million bales in 2014, an increase of more than 12 times. India is not only self-sufficient in agriculture, but also a net exporter of agri-produce. In 2014-15, agri-exports were $38 billion against imports of less than $20 billion. During the last three years, India has exported a total of 61 mt of cereal, nothing short of a wonder for a country that lived from ship to mouth in the mid-1960s. Today, India is the largest exporter of rice in the world, and the second-largest exporter of beef (buffalo meat) and cotton. India is the largest producer of milk, and the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables, rice, wheat and sugarcane. This is a matter of great satisfaction and relief for policymakers. 

An idea of the progress made can be gauged by looking at how just the price of onions makes them nervous today. Think of what would have happened if there were all-round shortages as in the mid-1960s. Whom should we salute for such a turnaround in India’s agri-fortunes? Several stakeholders have played a role in achieving this. There have been policymakers like C. Subramaniam, who steered the political debate to import HYV seeds in the mid-1960s despite the massive opposition from left-wing parties in Parliament and ushered in the Green Revolution. There are scientists like the late Norman Borlaug, who invented these seeds, and M.S. Swaminathan and Atwal, the first ones to adapt them to Indian conditions

. But when Subramaniam was asked whom the credit for the Green Revolution should go to, his reply was “to the farmers” who took the risk of adopting new technologies. He saluted the Indian farmer. India’s milk story is the story of the Milkman of India, Verghese Kurien, who nurtured the cooperative movement in the country and made Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited), an “utterly-butterly” name in every household. There is an important lesson from this grand success of agriculture. New technologies (HYV seeds, water, fertilisers) and innovation in institutional engineering (as in the milk sector) have been the real catalysts of change.

 These seeds can come from outside the country (as was the case with the HYV seeds of wheat and rice, and now with Bt cotton seeds from large private-sector companies such as Mahyco Monsanto), or take birth on Indian soil, as was the case with Pusa basmati and several hybrids of maize, introduced by both multinationals and domestic companies as well as government. But it is the farmer-entrepreneur who takes the risk in adopting these seeds and technologies, puts in his/ her best efforts, and the nation reaps a rich harvest to feed its citizens. It is time to salute our farmers for these heroic accomplishments. But it is also time to ask, what is it that the country has given back to them? Are they prosperous and happy? There is no doubt that several pockets of peasantry have experienced prosperity, but the overall picture, as per the latest situation assessment survey, is not rosy. So, the next challenge for all of us is to ensure a smile on their faces as well. This calls for a major re-orientation of farm policies. It’s time to ring the cowbell. - 

Transforming India’s Skill Landscape

Transforming India’s Skill Landscape

Independence Day Special Feature Why Skill India? Skill India seeks to give all Indians, the opportunity to aspire and achieve a better future for themselves and their families. A combination of demographic, economic and social factors makes skill development an urgent policy priority for India. The challenge is immense. 54% of India’s population is below 25 years of age and over 62% of the population is the working-age group. Yet, only 4.69% of the Indian population has undergone formal skills training. By 2025, almost 1 in 5 of the world’s working age population (18.3%) will be Indian. Recent skill gap reports suggest that over 109 million incremental human resources will be required in India alone, across 24 key sectors by the year 2022. 93% of India’s workers work in the unorganised sector and acquire skills through informal channels and lack formal certification. How can India’s skill training ecosystem be equipped to cope with these diverse challenges? India’s first Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship was established in July 2014 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to specifically focus on addressing the above challenges. This Department became a full-fledged Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) in November 2014, when Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy was inducted into the Council of Ministers. The primary focus of MSDE is to develop a robust policy framework and programme of action for scaling up skill development efforts in India, at speed and scale, while ensuring quality outcomes. This article highlights some major initiatives taken over the past nine months by MSDE, in order to lay a strong foundation for the skill training and entrepreneurship ecosystem in the country. Creating a Robust Skills Landscape in India: Key Milestones MSDE’s policy orientation for skill development is based on the following premises viz: coordination, private sector participation, entrepreneurship linkages, equity etc. The first premise clarifies MSDE’s role which would be to steer, coordinate and converge skill development programmes. The second pertains to catalysing private sector participation in the skill development sector through Public Private Partnerships and scaling up industry linkages with vocational training institutes. Skilling and entrepreneurship go hand in hand.  Skill training initiatives need to create a pool of job seekers and job creators, to propel economic growth. Importantly, economically and socially disadvantaged sections of society must be prime beneficiaries of skill training initiatives. MSDE’s activities over the past few months have been guided by these premises. Establishing a Clear Policy Framework: Policy, Mission, Common Norms As a new Ministry, one of MSDE’s first tasks was to establish a clear policy framework for skill development in India. Three key policy interventions have been undertaken by MSDE. This includes the creation of a National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship 2015, which articulates a framework for skilling at scale and speed while ensuring high quality outcomes; the establishment of National Skill Development Mission which seeks to converge, coordinate, implement and monitor skilling activities on a pan-India basis, and the creation of Common Norms for all skill development programmes across Cemntral Ministries/Departments. All three policy documents have received Cabinet Approval. Policy and Mission have also been formally launched by Hon’ble Prime Minister on 15 July this year, as a part of the launch of ‘Skill India’. India now has a robust policy framework to scale up skill development initiatives across the country. Having set out the policy framework, MSDE has also been working on developing a coherent programme of action. Developing a Programme of Action: Pradhan Manthri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Revamping ITIs, Strategic Partnerships, NSDC and NSDA Pradhan Manthri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) MSDE’s flagship outcome-based skill training scheme, was formally launched by the Prime Minister on 15 July 2015. A pilot phase of the scheme was initiated on 25 May 2015. PMKVY aims to incentivise young people to enrol in skill development initiatives, by providing a monetary reward to every young person who successfully completes an approved skill training programme, with an affiliated training provider. PMKVY is funded by Government of India and implemented through National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). 24 lakh youth across India will be trained under PMKVY in the next one year, of which 14 lakh trainees will be fresh entrants. 50,000 Persons with Disabilities will also be trained under PMKVY. In addition, youth who do not possess formal certification, will be assessed and certified through an initiative known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in PMKVY. 10 lakh youth will be trained under the RPL initiative, over the next year. This will be an important effort to recognize the skills and open up new job opportunities for a vast majority of young Indians who acquire skills through informal channels or work in the unorganised sector. As of 31 July this year, 25 participating SSCs have already enrolled 2.12 lakh candidates for 196 Job roles in 29 states and 4 Union Territories across India, in PMKVY. Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), which were formerly under Ministry of Labour and Employment have were transferred to MSDE in April this year. A number of initiatives are being undertaken to revitalise these organisations. This includes for example, upgrading their curriculum (in collaboration with industry experts), strengthening industry linkages, scaling up apprenticeships, modernising equipment and facilities within ITIs etc. In addition, 34 ITIs and 68 Skill Development Centres are also being established in 34 Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts to open up employment opportunities for youth in these areas. These initiatives are aimed at improving the quality of training in these institutions and ensuring that students who complete ITI courses are employable. Strategic partnerships have also been undertaken between MSDE and other Ministries/Departments in the Central Government, to collaborate on scaling up skill training activities in specific sectors. MSDE now has strategic partnerships with: Ministries of Social Justice and Empowerment (Department for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities), Health and Family Welfare, Steel, Mines, Railways, Defence and Chemicals and Fertilizers (Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Department of Fertilizers, Department of Pharmaceuticals). Public Sector Units (PSUs) within these sectors and related contractors will be encouraged to hire workers certified in job roles aligned to NSQF, utilize CSR funds for skill training purposes and set up Centres of Excellence in collaboration with DGT or NSDC, through these strategic partnerships. Ministers heading each of these Ministries/Departments, other Cabinet Ministers, several Chief Ministers and stakeholders from government, academia, industry organisations etc. also participated in the launch of ‘Skill India’ on 15 July and shared their commitment to partner with MSDE to skill India’s youth. These partnerships will play an important role in scaling up skill training initiatives and ensuring that skill training takes place at high quality, in each of these sectors. National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) has been a key player in the skill development space, even before the Ministry was formed. NSDC is now MSDE’s implementation arm. It works with a network of 235 training partners and 38 approved Sector Skills Councils. The entire NSDC ecosystem has trained over 55 lakh people as of July 2015. National Skill Development Agency (NSDA) which is also a part of the Ministry plays an important role as a normative body. Its focus is on ensuring that skill training programmes are aligned to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) and quality assurance mechanisms are operational. Till date, NSDA has approved 1226 Qualification Packs, across 28 different trades. NSDA is also playing an important role to develop a framework for RPL. Together, NSDC and NSDA focus on scale and quality, which are two key pillars of MSDE’s skill development mandate. Moving forward, MSDE’s focus will be on programme implementation, monitoring and ensuring that high standards and quality assurance systems are in place.  It is vital that private sector, industry associations, training providers and government institutions play a proactive role and collaborate to scale up skill training efforts across the country. These initiatives are an important step towards meeting industry’s human resource requirements and will boost growth. Importantly, they will also give India’s aspiring youth access to stable employment opportunities and sustainable livelihoods.