In its bid to create over five lakh job opportunities by 2021 through green skills, the government on Monday launched a mobile application to begin enrolments in 30 expert course under its Green Skill Development Programme (GSPD).
The GSPD-ENVIS app, which can be downloaded on mobile phones, is the easiest way to apply for the programmes, an official said.

The cost of the programmes -- which include 30 courses across 84 institutes like WII-Delhradun, Bombay Natural History Society in Mumbai, Botanical Survey of India in Pune and WWF in Delhi -- will be supported by the Union Environment Ministry.

"GSDP aims to get 80,000 people imparted green skills and filling the skill gaps in the environment sector... number of people to be employed under GSDP will be increased to cover 2.25 lakh people next year and to about 5 lakh people by the year 2021," Union Environment Minister Hash Vardhan said here.


Vardhan pointed out that the aim is to provide skills to the youth of India, especially dropouts. For this, the ministry is using its network and expertise of Environmental Information System hubs and Resource Partners for skill development in the environment and forest sector to enable youth to get employed or for self-employment.


"31 per cent of children are dropouts from school after the secondary stage itself... Priority is to develop skill sets with employability linkage," said Anandi Subramanian, Senior Economic Advisor, Environment Ministry.


Some of the courses to be conducted during 2018-19 include eco-tourism, scuba diving for marine conservation, propagation and management of bamboo, river dolphin conservation, forest entomology, pest control, paralegal practices in environment laws and forestry, and operation and management of sewage treatment plants.


"Some of these courses are unique... The ministry is spending on entire tuition and cost of the material. In some remote locations, we are also looking forward to bear the cost of boarding. However, no stipend will be paid," said a ministry official.


The minimum eligibility -- 10th dropout to science graduate -- vary with each prgramme.