A big opportunity extended to all: Sachin Tendulkar to endorse Skill India campaign

New Delhi: Government has roped in cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar to endorse the ‘I Support Skill India’ campaign, in an attempt to reach out to the youth and build awareness on the importance of skill development. “Sachin is one of the greatest Indian stories of our times and someone who resonates the best with skills. He is a true global icon and brand that disrupted the game of cricket through his skill sets and inspired generations,” Minister of State (independent charge) Skill and Entrepreneurship Rajiv Pratap Rudy said in a release. “It is imperative that we build respect for skills and that is exactly the idea behind our new campaign. Our new campaign is a step towards sensitising society and achieving our mandate of creating a skilled India.” [caption id=“attachment_2720022” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Sachin Tendulkar. Reuters[/caption] The campaign of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is an endeavour to galvanise stakeholders across states, organisations and industries to bring value and respect to skills and standardise the ecosystem to meet human resource requirements nationally and globally. Elaborating on the relevance of skills and his association with Skill India, Tendulkar stated, “When I was approached for endorsing Skill India, I realised that it is an important component in one’s personal growth that needs to be valued and mastered. The all-time great added: “We are a young nation and we have the potential in us. We just need to learn a skill that is driven by our passion and turn it into an opportunity for us. Skill India is a big opportunity extended to all. We should avail of it to its best.” Secretary in the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rohit Nandan said: “It was found during our skill development efforts across the country that while capacity for trained labour was increasing, the aspiration among the young people to join a skill development programme was lacking.” Nandan stressed on use of a communication methodology to reach out to the young and the skills certificate that would lead to a career progression. The ministry’s target is to skill 40.2 crore youth by 2022. It has also introduced its flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the world’s largest monetary reward scheme promoting skill development to those who need financial support.