National Skill Development Corporation CEO Dilip Chenoy and COO Atul Bhatnagar have quit their posts following rising differences with the skill development ministry. The resignations have been forwarded to the skill development minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy for acceptance.
The resignation follows a tussle between the skill development ministry and NSDC on who will hold the pilot position on Centre’s skill development agenda. It also comes shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi started several initiatives for skill training to improve the supply of trained labour and expand job opportunities for the youth. Despite several messages neither the officers nor the minister responded on the issue.
Chenoy was appointed by the UPA government to run the NSDC. The corporation’s budget has also been scaled up to Rs 1,000 crore from Rs 500 crore earlier.
It has been set up as a public private partnership firm with the mandate of catalysing the skills landscape in India. It’s website claims ‘NSDC is a unique model created with a well thought through underlying philosophy based on partnerships with a large host of training companies.’
The ministry has also been having trouble with the model. The company’s status has been questioned with department officials saying that it cannot be a regulator for the sector under the current model.
The issue got further amplified as the cabinet is expected to soon approve a group A cadre official from Indian Skill Development Service to man the offices of the ministry including NSDC. It will be difficult for them to assume such posts unless the constitution of NSDC is drastically revised.
