India to send a lakh youth to Japan for bilateral technical training programme

In an effort to boost national productivity, the Union Cabinet announced on Wednesday that it would send a lakh youth to Japan as part of a bilateral technical training programme.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, said after a Cabinet meeting that Indian recruits will receive training in Japan for a period of three to five years. They will get accommodation and job opportunities in Japan.

“When they return from Japan with Japanese standards of skills, it will boost our national productivity, said Mr. Pradhan.

He also announced another important pact with Japan that is being finalised by the Petroleum Ministry.

“India will be made a gas-driven economy and we want to set up a gas exchange.

Japan has pacts for gas with Qatar and we have pacts with Australia,” Mr. Pradhan said.

“We have a provision that will allow swapping these gas contracts and save transport costs. So we can get gas from Qatar instead of Japan and they can source our quantum from Australia.”

Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister for Law and Information Technology, added that this would also “lead to deep ties in terms of foreign policy as well”. Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited India last month and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat for the 12th India-Japan annual dialogue.

The Union Cabinet also approved two new schemes Sankalp, and Strive, to boost skill development, with aid from World Bank at estimated cost of Rs 6,600 crore. This is in joint participation by the Centre, States and the private sector for structural reforms in short-term and long-term skilling programs, over three years.

“There was no institutional mechanism for training the trainers. This programme will give States funds to build this mechanism,” Mr. Pradhan said.