New Delhi [India], June 21 (ANI): Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday launched an innovative project for skill training of construction workers called National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman workers.

The project NIPUN is an initiative of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under its flagship scheme of the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM) to train over 1 lakh construction workers, through fresh skilling and upskilling programmes and provides them with work opportunities in foreign countries also, the ministry said in a statement.

While addressing the launch event, the Minister said that the transformational impact of the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) has definitively reduced the vulnerability of urban poor households by providing upskilling and employment opportunities to urban dwellers, especially the youth.

He further said that the spirit of entrepreneurship has been encouraged and supported by giving urban workers access to self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities.

"This initiative will enable Nirman workers to be more proficient and skilled while making them adopt future trends in the construction industry by increasing their capabilities and diversifying their skill sets," he added.

He said that through suitable skilling initiatives such as NIPUN, we are creating a future labour force for the construction industry which will propel innovation and large-scale development in the country.

The Union Minister also interacted with some construction workers on the occasion and presented them with safety helmets.

The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), is the nodal agency under the Ministry of Skill DevelopmentEntrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, will be the Implementation Partner for the project NIPUN.

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 and contractors.

"Onsite skill training will be provided to approximately 80,000 construction workers through industry associations under the RPL certification, co-branded with MoHUA, while about 14,000 candidates will receive fresh skilling through plumbing and infrastructure Sector Skill Council (SSC) in trades having promising placement potentials," the ministry said.

The courses are aligned with National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and will be imparted at accredited and affiliated training centres. 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', three-year accidental insurance with coverage of Rs 2 lakhs, digital skills such as cashless transactions and the BHIM app, orientation about entrepreneurship, and EPF and BOCW facilities.

Secretary, Housing and Urban Affairs Manoj Joshi, Secretary, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment Sunil Barthwal, and Additional Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Sanjay Kumar were among those present on the occasion. (ANI)