AMARAVATI, April 20: The Andhra Pradesh government has formulated a comprehensive skill development programme as part of a broader population management policy aimed at addressing the economic barriers to childbearing, Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced on Monday.

The skill development component forms one of the five pillars of the State's new population stabilisation policy, which was designed to encourage couples to voluntarily opt for higher fertility by creating an enabling socio-economic environment.

Fertility rate concern

Expressing concern over the State's current total fertility rate (TFR) of 1.50 — well below the replacement level of 2.10 required for a stable population balance between the young and the elderly — Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav said the government had drawn up a holistic policy to reverse the trend. The overarching goal of the programme is to achieve a $2.40 trillion State economy, which would be facilitated by a stabilised population structure, he said.

Targets set for 2035

Under the skill development plan, the government has set the following targets to be achieved by 2035: extending digital literacy to 95 per cent of the population; providing need-identified skill training to 75 per cent of the workforce; ensuring employment for over 80 per cent of trained persons; offering certificate courses to one lakh persons in childcare and elder-care services; and increasing women's participation in the labour force by 25 per cent.

Industry-aligned training

The Minister stated that training programmes would be tailored to the requirements of industries investing in the State, with a specific focus on information technology, green energy, electronics, and quantum computing. He noted that 610 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and related agreements signed at Visakhapatnam, entailing investments exceeding ₹13 lakh crore, would guide the identification of skill requirements. Industrialists and investors would be given due representation in the design of training curricula, he added.

Three-tier framework

The skill programmes would operate across three levels, Mr. Satya Kumar Yadav explained. Foundational courses would be introduced from Class VI, with the aim of building capabilities from a young age. Existing workers of varying age groups would receive training to enhance their productivity. Centres of Excellence would also be established to cater to higher-end skill requirements.

Emphasising that learning was not confined to those under 25, the Minister said older persons would also receive training in various domains so that all age groups could contribute to social and economic development.

The Minister appealed to citizens to make the most of the opportunities that would be created under the programme.