Smriti Irani launches skill development, leadership promotion programme for Sikh community

New Delhi: Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday launched a skill development, leadership and entrepreneurship promotion and education programme for the Sikh community.

The programme was launched to commemorate the auspicious occasion of the Sikh New Year, an official statement said.

It has been approved in the larger spirit of 'Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas' under the Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM-VIKAS) scheme of the ministry through the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC).

The DSGMC is a statutory body established for the welfare of the Sikh community.

This programme will target 10,000 youths and women, and seeks to provide modern skills training in employment-oriented job roles, promote Sikh artisans such as 'Sikligars' and other groups who are practicing traditional arts and craft forms, foster women leadership and entrepreneurship, and provide education for school dropouts.

The total expenditure on the programme shall be approximately Rs 100 crore, the statement said.

This initiative of the ministry will assist the socio-economically disadvantaged groups within the community to make space for themselves in the national growth story and will also cater to beneficiaries from other socially disadvantaged communities, thereby promoting communal and social harmony, it said.

To formalise this transformative partnership, the Ministry of Minority Affairs will implement the programme through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with societies, educational institutions nominated or registered under the DSGMC, the statement said.

The DSGMC operates four colleges under the Delhi University -- the Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, the Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College, the Mata Sundri College of Women and the Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce -- and 12 branches of the Guru Harkishan Public Schools and one Industrial Training Institute.

These institutions have a proven track record in the domain of imparting education and skill development for the welfare of Sikhs and other communities, the statement said.

This ministry's initiative seeks to target the Sikh youth not only in Delhi but all over India by building and nurturing the capacities of these educational and skilling institutions, thereby supporting and assisting the community in generation of employment and livelihood opportunities, it said.

The government also recognises the need for preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the Sikh community, including the Gurmukhi script, the statement said.

The Ministry of Minority Affairs on Thursday also approved the Centre of Gurumukhi script at Delhi University's Khalsa college at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore, another official statement said.

The objective of this centre would be to facilitate collaboration between the university and the ministry to enhance educational opportunities for minority communities in India, particularly in the field of Gurumukhi studies, through establishment and strengthening of the required infrastructure for undertaking undergraduate, postgraduate, Ph.D and research programmes, the statement said.

In the spirit of 'Virasat Se Vikas' and 'Virasat Se Samvardhan', the ministry, inspired by 'Panch Pran' of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has approved the Centre of Gurumukhi script under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK).

The centre has been approved focusing on the increasing demand and need for reviving the Gurumukhi language not only as a subject for higher education but also to preserve the heritage and culture of the minority community and recognising the significance of promoting education and research in the field of Gurumukhi studies.

The university will collaborate with subject-matter experts and develop curriculum guidelines and material for all courses, including certificate courses, diploma courses, and PhD programmes, in Gurumukhi Studies, tailored to meet the needs and interests of students, the statement said.

It will also organise training programmes and workshops for teachers to enhance their pedagogical skills and subject knowledge.

The university will collaborate with subject-matter experts on research projects, encouraging faculty members and students to undertake interdisciplinary research that contributes to the understanding and preservation of culture and the language, it said.

The approval of these initiatives for the Sikh community under the PM-VIKAS and the PMJVK schemes marks a significant milestone in the government's commitment towards empowering and uplifting the marginalised sections from amongst the Sikh community across the nation and envisions a tangible socio-economic transformation for their families, the statement said.

The ministry also approved projects under the PMJVK scheme for the establishment of a Centre for Jain Studies in the Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV), Indore campus, with an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore.

Focusing on the increasing demand and need for reviving the Buddhist Studies language not only as a subject for higher education but also to preserve the heritage and culture, and recognising the significance of promoting education and research in the field of Buddhist Studies, the ministry has approved a proposal from the Delhi University for establishment of the 'Centre for Advanced studies in Buddhist Studies' at the institution.

It will be done at an estimated cost of Rs 35 crore under the PMJVK and 'Buddhist Development Plan (BDP), the statement said.

The centre's objective would be to facilitate collaboration between the university and the ministry to enhance educational opportunities for minority communities in India, particularly in the field of Buddhist Studies, through establishment and strengthening of the required infrastructure for undertaking undergraduate, postgraduate, Ph.D and research programmes.

For Buddhist Studies, the ministry has also approved a project for Infrastructural Development at the Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies (CIHCS) at an estimated cost of Rs 40 crore. The objective is to develop CIHCS into a knowledge partner with respect to the matters relating to the BDP in India's Himalayan and North-Eastern region.

The ministry has also approved the Centre of Jain Manuscriptology (GUCJM) at the Gujarat University amounting to Rs 40 crore.

The centre aims at giving academic support for development of Apabharansh and Prakrit language of Jainism in the University.