What Happened
- The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Dakshata Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi Yojana (PM-DAKSH), a Central Sector Scheme for targeted skill training
- PM-DAKSH has trained 1,87,305 beneficiaries to date across Scheduled Castes (SCs), Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), De-Notified Tribes (DNT), and Safai Karamcharis including waste pickers
- Three implementing corporations: NSFDC (for SCs), NBCFDC (for OBCs/EWS/DNTs), and NSKFDC (for Safai Karamcharis/waste pickers)
- NSFDC allocated ₹72.29 crore and NBCFDC allocated ₹64.01 crore over the past three years
- All training is NSQF-compliant; post-training, candidates receive placement assistance for wage or self-employment
Static Topic Bridges
PM-DAKSH — Scheme Architecture and Constitutional Basis
PM-DAKSH is a Central Sector Scheme (100% centrally funded, not a Centrally Sponsored Scheme) under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. It targets constitutionally identified disadvantaged groups with skill development training to improve livelihoods. The scheme's constitutional basis draws from Directive Principles of State Policy — Article 46 (promotion of educational and economic interests of SCs, STs, and weaker sections) and Article 41 (right to work) — while also operationalising Article 17 (abolition of untouchability) by targeting Safai Karamcharis.
- PM-DAKSH: Central Sector Scheme; 100% central funding; nodal ministry: MSDE
- Article 46 (DPSP): "The State shall promote with special care the educational and economic interests of the weaker sections of the people, and in particular, of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes"
- Article 17: abolition of untouchability; Safai Karamcharis (manual scavengers/waste pickers) are targeted as the group most affected by caste-based occupational discrimination
- De-Notified Tribes (DNT): tribes that were criminalised under the Criminal Tribes Act, 1871 (repealed 1952); still among the most marginalised communities
- PM-DAKSH is distinct from PMKVY (which is universal) — it targets specific constitutionally identified groups with dedicated implementing bodies
Connection to this news: PM-DAKSH operationalises constitutional guarantees of affirmative action in the economic domain — ensuring that the general skill development infrastructure (PMKVY, SIDH) does not leave the most marginalised communities behind through systemic barriers.
Implementing Corporations — NSFDC, NBCFDC, NSKFDC
The three implementing corporations under PM-DAKSH represent the institutional ecosystem for welfare financing targeted at specific marginalised groups, all under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
- NSFDC (National Scheduled Castes Finance and Development Corporation): established 1989; provides concessional loans and livelihood support to SCs; also implements PM-DAKSH training for SC beneficiaries
- NBCFDC (National Backward Classes Finance and Development Corporation): established 1992; targets OBCs, EWS, and DNTs; concessional loans + skill training
- NSKFDC (National Safai Karamcharis Finance and Development Corporation): established 1997; targets manual scavengers, sanitation workers, waste pickers; links to Swachh Bharat Mission objectives
- Safai Karamchari context: Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 mandates rehabilitation and skill retraining for freed manual scavengers — NSKFDC is the implementing agency
- Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment: nodal ministry for SCs, OBCs, EWS, DNTs; Ministry of Tribal Affairs handles STs separately
Connection to this news: The PM-DAKSH budgetary data (₹72.29 crore via NSFDC; ₹64.01 crore via NBCFDC) reflects the scale of targeted investment — but at 1,87,305 beneficiaries against India's SC (200+ million) and OBC population (350+ million), it remains a supplementary intervention rather than a systemic transformation.
Manual Scavenging — Legal Framework and Rehabilitation
The Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act, 2013 prohibits the employment of persons as manual scavengers (cleaning dry latrines, open drains, septic tanks without protective equipment) and mandates the rehabilitation of those freed from such employment. Skill development — through NSKFDC and PM-DAKSH — is a key rehabilitation pathway.
- Manual Scavengers Rehabilitation Act, 2013: prohibits employment of manual scavengers; mandates one-time cash assistance, scholarship for dependents, residential plot, concessional loans, and skill training
- NSKFDC role: implements skill training and livelihood support for rehabilitated manual scavengers
- Safai Karamchari Andolan v. UoI (2014): Supreme Court directed identification and rehabilitation of manual scavengers across all states
- Self-Employment Scheme for Rehabilitation of Manual Scavengers (SRMS): provides one-time cash assistance (₹40,000), skill training, and concessional loans
- Swachh Bharat Mission (2014): while addressing open defecation, simultaneously creates demand for sanitation workers — creating tension with rehabilitation objectives
Connection to this news: PM-DAKSH's inclusion of Safai Karamcharis and waste pickers reflects the most challenging dimension of India's social justice agenda — where centuries of caste-based occupational assignment must be broken by providing viable alternative livelihood skills.
Key Facts & Data
- PM-DAKSH total beneficiaries trained: 1,87,305
- NSFDC allocation (last 3 years): ₹72.29 crore; NBCFDC: ₹64.01 crore
- Target groups: SCs, OBCs, EWS, De-Notified Tribes, Safai Karamcharis, waste pickers
- Article 46 (DPSP): state to promote educational and economic interests of SCs, STs, and weaker sections
- Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers Act: 2013; NSKFDC implements rehabilitation
- NSFDC: est. 1989 (SCs); NBCFDC: est. 1992 (OBCs/EWS/DNTs); NSKFDC: est. 1997 (Safai Karamcharis)
- Central Sector Scheme: 100% central funding (unlike CSS which is cost-shared with states)