Union Labour & Employment Minister Shri Mallikarjun Kharge has said that coming together of the countries of South-South will lead to understanding of the best practices prevailing in these countries, and development of effective technical cooperation programmes. Inaugurating the International Conference on South-South Cooperation Innovations in Public Employment Programmes for Sustainable Inclusive Growth here today, he said such common endeavors will go a long way in bringing developing countries together and improving their economic and social condition. Shri Kharge said , Collaboration between emerging economies through South-South Cooperation is going to be an important feature of Global Economic Development in the current century.
Union Labour Minister said quality employment is the foundation of India™s vision for growth. He said decent work and employment are not merely outcomes, but drivers of economic growth. Shri Kharge said such an approach requires mitigation of barriers to access, based on education, gender and social inequalities in the labour market and increasing employability through skill development.
Shri Mallikarjun Kharge informed the Conference that a new scheme- Modular Employable Skills, under our Skill Development Initiative Scheme has been started with an objective to train one million persons in short term modular courses in five years and then one million every year thereafter, particularly in the unorganized sector. He said ,We are also creating a strong labour market information system.
The Labour Minister said India is mandated to create a work environment conducive to achieving a high rate of economic growth with due regard to protecting and safeguarding the interests of the working class in general and those of the vulnerable sections of the society in particular. He said this process will be sustainable in the long run if it is in tune with the emerging needs of the economy such as attaining higher levels of productivity & competitiveness and increasing employment opportunities. Shri Kharge said economic growth and policies of social inclusion mutually reinforce each other and this has become evident in the way our economy could withstand the severe global financial and economic crisis.
The Union Labour Minister expressed the hope that this Conference will help to build capacity and facilitate sharing of knowledge among the developing countries. He said this will also lead to better appreciation of the range of policy issues relevant to public work programmes and employment guarantee schemes. Innovative Solutions thus arrived at around convergent holistic framework will lead to better cohesion for ˜inclusive growth™, the Minister concluded.
The three-day conference aims at building meaningful partnerships and exchange of information through South-South Cooperation. The Conference organized by Ministry of Labour & Employment in collaboration with Union Rural Development Ministry and the ILO is being attended by Labour Ministers/senior officials from 22 countries of Asia, Africa and South America.
