TRADITIONAL SWEET AND PICKLE MAKING SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN PMKVY-SUDAMA PRASAD

TRADITIONAL SWEET AND PICKLE MAKING SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN PMKVY-SUDAMA PRASAD

30-JULY-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------Sudama Prasad, the MP for the Arrah Lok Sabha constituency, raised the issue in the Lok Sabha during Zero Hour regarding the inclusion of traditional sweet and pickle making as a distinct skill trade under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

MP Sudama Prasad stated that the objective of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is to provide employment and self-employment opportunities to the country's youth by imparting industry-oriented skill training. However, it is surprising that the country's traditional and widely self-employment-driven sweet and pickle manufacturing businesses have not yet found a place in this scheme.

He noted that sweet and pickle making is not merely a traditional trade but a significant food industry based on food safety standards, quality control, modern packaging, branding, marketing, and enterprise management. Despite this, there are no arrangements for organized skill training and certification for the artisans and youth associated with this sector.

He mentioned that lakhs of families across several states—including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi—earn their livelihood through this work. A large number of these families belong to the Extremely Backward Classes (EBC), Other Backward Classes (OBC), and Scheduled Caste (SC) communities. If they are provided with modern training, certification, financial assistance, and marketing facilities, large-scale employment and self-employment opportunities could be created.

The MP urged the Central Government to include sweet and pickle making as a separate skill trade under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

1. Special programs should be launched to provide modern technical training, certification, entrepreneurship development, and start-up support to the artisans and communities associated with this sector.

2. A special policy should be formulated to boost exports, quality enhancement, and employment generation by integrating the traditional food industry with the organized sector.

The MP stated that this initiative would not only strengthen the livelihoods of lakhs of traditional artisan families but also contribute significantly to making India's traditional food industry globally competitive and strengthening the rural economy. Chandan Kumar, the MP's personal assistant, issued a press release providing this information.