Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP): Notes for UPSC

Government schemes and programs are an important part of the UPSC syllabus. The following article talks about the Green Skill Development Programme for IAS exam, which is an important segment in the agricultural schemes of the government.

An initiative for skill development in the environment and forest sector has been taken up by the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to enable India’s youth to get gainful employment and/or self-employment, utilizing the vast network and expertise of ENVIS Hubs/RPs. It is called the Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP).

What is the Green Skills Programme?

Green skills are those skills needed to adapt processes, services, and products to climate change and the environmental regulations and requirements related to it. They include the knowledge, abilities, values, and attitudes needed to live in, develop and support a sustainable and resource-efficient society. These skills are required in areas such as Renewable energy, climate change readiness, Wastewater treatment, Climate-resilient cities, Green construction, Solid waste management, etc.

To know more about other Government Schemes, visit the linked article.

Importance of Green Skill Development Programme

• India would need around 10.4 crores of new workforces by the year 2022, in various sectors and hence skill development is essential to meet the demand.
• The trainees of this programme can also be exposed for the expertise on wildlife conservation, nurseries, horticulture etc. and can be absorbed with the Department of Environment and Forests of the State Governments as well.
• The programme aims to train youth who have not been able to continue higher education due to different financial or social constraints but has an urge to learn new things and do something fruitful.
• The green skilled workforce having technical knowledge and commitment to sustainable development will help in the attainment of SDGs, INDCs and National Biodiversity Targets.
• Green skill is crucial for making a transition from energy and emission-intensive economy to cleaner and greener production and service patterns.

Recent Developments

In the Union Budget 2021, the Central Silk Board has been allocated rupees 875 crores. The allocation to Silk has been increased by rupees 75 crores this year.

The decision has been taken by the Government of India, to expand the Green Skill Development Programme (GSDP) to an all-India level. 

Post a pilot project in the year 2017, the ministry has now taken the following steps to expand the Green Skill Development Programme:

• Increasing the budget allocation for ENVIS in budget 2018-19 by 33%. Out of this, the training courses under the Green Skill Development Programme will be funded.
• The targets for training have been increased. A total of 5 lakh 60 thousand people will be imparted training between 2018-19 and 2020-21.
• 35 courses including pollution monitoring (air/water/noise/soil), effluent treatment plant operation, forest management, water budgeting, etc have been recognized by the government.

Aspirants can check out the following links to prepare comprehensively and even better for upcoming Civil Services exams

To know how you can prepare for Environment and Biodiversity sections of the UPSC exams, visit the linked article.

Green Skill Development:- Download PDF Here

For more UPSC related preparation materials and articles, visit the links given in the table below:

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