UP Skill Development Mission signs MoU with NSE and NIESBUD;

new modules on savings, budget management, and self-employment to be added

Target to train around two lakh students from 515 schools in

the financial year 2026-27: Mission Director Pulkit Khare

Students in grades 9 to 12 will receive practical economic

knowledge; system implemented across state from Oct 24

Lucknow, Oct 24 (HS): Under the visionary leadership of

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh government is continuously

taking innovative initiatives to make students self-reliant, practical and

employment-oriented, not limiting school education to mere bookish knowledge.

In this sequence, school students of the state will now, along with regular studies

and learning technical skills, also develop a basic understanding of proper

money management and starting their own enterprise/self-employment in the

future. Under the ambitious 'Project Praveen' scheme of Uttar Pradesh Skill

Development Mission (UPSDM), two new special modules have been included to

provide training in financial literacy and entrepreneurship development to the

students.

To implement this important initiative, the Uttar Pradesh

Skill Development Mission, under the able guidance of Mission Director Pulkit

Khare, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Stock

Exchange of India Limited (NSE) and the National Institute for Entrepreneurship

and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), operating under the Union Ministry of

Entrepreneurship. Under this initiative, NSE will provide practical training in

financial skills and NIESBUD will provide practical training in

entrepreneurship development. Both modules are two hours long and will be

implemented across the state effective October 24, 2026. Its main objective is

to create financial awareness among students from an early age and link their

technical skills to self-employment.

Mission Director Pulkit Khare informed that in the financial

year 2026-27, the Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission has set a massive

target of providing skill development training to approximately two lakh

students from 515 schools in the state under 'Project Praveen'. This scope

includes government secondary schools as well as non-government (aided)

schools, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs), Sarvodaya schools and 'Atal

Residential Schools' run for the children of labourers. Under the scheme,

students from classes 9 to 12 are being provided employment-oriented skill

training in demand-based trades along with the regular school curriculum, so

that they have solid livelihood opportunities available to them as soon as they

pass 12th.

Through a two-hour financial skills module conducted by NSE,

students will be given an understanding of the proper use of money and

financial decisions in everyday life. Its purpose is not to make students

financial experts, but to teach them the difference between needs and wants,

the importance of savings, and the wise use of available funds. This basic

understanding will enable them in the future to address important topics such

as income, expenses, family budgeting, and safe investments.

NISBD's two-hour Entrepreneurship Development Module will

develop students' entrepreneurial mindset to identify new business ideas and

convert them into market opportunities. Students will understand how to launch

their own small business or startup based on skills learned in areas such as

tailoring, electronics, IT, beauty and wellness, or automobiles. This module

will cover practical aspects such as problem identification, efficient resource

management, customer need assessment, and project planning, enabling young

people to become self-employed creators rather than simply job seekers.

The Yogi government is firmly integrating vocational

education with secondary education, in accordance with the National Education

Policy 2020. Under Project Praveen, students already receive 180 hours of

technical trade training, 30 hours of soft skills training, and 4 hours of AI

and digital skills training. Now, with the addition of 2 hours of financial

skills and 2 hours of entrepreneurship development modules, students will

receive 360-degree comprehensive training. The Mission Director informed that

the detailed study material and outline of both the new modules have been sent

to all the Training Providers and clear instructions have been issued to

compulsorily conduct it in classroom training.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi