MoHUA Launches NIPUN Scheme under DAY NULM

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Project NIPUN UPSC: Relevance

Recently, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has launched an innovative project for skill training of construction workers called ‘NIPUN’ i.e., National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman workers.

The project NIPUN is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under its flagship scheme of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
The scheme will promote skilling in the construction sector where it has not spread horizontally across the industry.

The scheme objective is to train over 1 lakh construction workers, through fresh skilling and upskilling programmes and provides them with work opportunities in foreign countries also.
The NIPUN Project will enable the construction workers to seek better job opportunities, increase their wages and even pursue overseas placements.
Through suitable skilling initiatives such as NIPUN, a future labour force for the construction industry will be created, which will propel innovation and large-scale development in the country.
National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) will be the Implementation Partner for the project NIPUN.
Under NIPUN, it is also envisaged that NSDC will place approximately 12,000 people in foreign countries such as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE and other GCC countries.
Project NIPUN will also facilitate and support convergence with related line ministries.
Meanwhile, NSDC will be responsible for the overall execution of training, monitoring and candidate tracking.
It will provide trainees with ‘Kaushal Bima’, a three-year accidental insurance with coverage of INR 2 lakhs, digital skills.

DAY-NULM is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, being implemented since 2014-15 by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
The objective is to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households in the country by enabling them to access self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities, resulting in an appreciable improvement in their livelihoods on a sustainable basis.
The project implementation is divided into three parts – training through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) at construction sites, training through Fresh Skilling by Plumbing and Infrastructure SSC and International Placement through industries/ builders/ contractors.
Onsite skill training will be provided to approximately 80,000 construction workers through industry associations under the RPL certification.
The courses are aligned with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and will be imparted at accredited and affiliated training centres.

The construction industry is poised to become the largest employer by 2022 and needs 45 million additional skilled workers over the next 10 years.
To fulfil this mission, the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) and the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) have joined Project NIPUN as industry partners.
These industry partners will identify training job roles of aspirational value in the construction sector in collaboration with the SSC.