Paper subsidy

  

Gulzar Natarajan on issuing of voucher for vocational training;

• The government can issue vocational training vouchers to prospective students, selected through defined criteria, with some basic qualification. The course-independent vouchers will subsidize a part of the training expenses including tuition fees and boarding charges. A basic subsidy can be announced each year, which would be reimbursed to the institutes on production of the vouchers. The institutes could offer a variety of vocational courses, letting students choose on the market signals. They would compete to offer courses and attract students.

• The vouchers issued can be linked with the recipient’s Aadhaar number to simplify administration and reimbursements, prevent leakages, and ensure portability. The trained students should then be linked to NEP. In other words, leveraging the potential of NSDC through vouchers, and linking it with NEP can be a big step towards addressing what is arguably India’s biggest economic challenge.