CM Siddharamaiah to launch Asha Deepa scheme where government will bear employers’ contribution of PF, ESI for new appointees

Mysuru: – The State Government’s ambitious Asha Deepa scheme will be launched by Chief Minister Siddharamaiah during the valedictory of the Divisional-level Mega Udyoga Mela and Skill Development at the Maharaja’s College Grounds on Mar. 5. The Job Mela will begin on Mar. 3 (tomorrow).

Asha Deepa envisages the State Government bearing the employer’s portion of the PF and ESI contribution for the candidate if selected in the job mela. The scheme was announced in the Budget for which the government earmarked Rs. 45 crore for the current fiscal. As per the scheme, for temporary employees the government will pay the PF and ESI contributions for one year and for permanent employees, the government will pay PF and ESI contributions for two years.

The Skill Development Corporation plans to establish an overseas employment cell. “We have signed MoUs with five countries so far, and plan a similar understanding with a few more firms after which the cell will be officially launched,” said Chairman of the Skill Development Corporation, Muralidhar Halappa while speaking to reporters yesterday.

A new ‘Foreign Fund’ will be established by the Government to assist job seekers from poor and economically weaker candidates who aspire to go abroad for professional reasons. While assisting the candidates with suitable guidelines on how to approach foreign universities and educational institutions, the government will also fund the students and also provide them skill training to upgrade their standards to match the requirements of foreign universities.

Candidates will be connected directly with the foreign universities as per the provision made in the scheme and we are expecting to involve 12 nations in the scheme. We have already roped in five countries. CM Siddharamaiah will launch the scheme on Mar. 10.

Tomorrow’s job mela will begin with skill training programme for job aspirants to increase their confidence levels. “They will be trained on the finer aspects of facing job interviews and participating in group discussions. So far, we have successfully conducted 22 Job Melas across the State and we are conducting a three-day mela n Mysuru for the first time,” Halappa said.

More than 10,000 job seekers have registered for the Job Mela and a similar number of walk-in candidates are also expected to attend.

Aimed at helping unemployed youth from Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu, Hassan, and Mandya, over 100 leading private companies have confirmed their participation in the event.

Organised by the Karnataka Skill Development Corporation and other government departments in association with the district administration, the Bengaluru-based TalenTree People Consulting Pvt. Ltd. is also involved.

Over 9,346 candidates had already registered online. Online registration can be done on www.kaushalkar.com and spot registration facility is also available.

All candidates will be provided with inputs on employability skills required in the field of work.