Champion Services Sector Scheme

Context:

Under the Champion Services Sector Scheme (CSSS) a total amount of Rs.3369.75 Cr for 3-5 years has been approved by the Expenditure Finance Committee based on the proposals submitted by the concerned Ministry/Department.

Key Highlights:

As per the guidelines of the Scheme, there is a three-tier monitoring mechanism, namely
the concerned Ministry/Department, the Department of Commerce and the Committee of Secretaries chaired by the Cabinet Secretary. Details of action taken under the Scheme are as under:

(i)  Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has initiated the following projects under CSSS, namely:

1. Future Skills PRIME: Under the Future Skills PRIME Programme more than 1,93,000 candidates have signed-up on the FS PRIME Portal. More than 29,000 candidates have enrolled for National Occupational Standards/National Skill Qualification Framework aligned Foundation/ Deep Skilling courses, out of which 4000 candidates have completed the course. Under blended learning programme, Resource Centres have trained 241 trainers and 1182 Govt. officials.

2. Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS):The NGIS aims to create a vibrant software product eco-system to complement the robust IT industry. The 1^st Start-up has been launched and final selection of the beneficiaries is underway.

(ii)  Ministry of Tourism: For the various components of the sub-schemes of Ministry of Tourism, Rs.38.14 Cr has so far been utilized, namely:

1. Creation of Tented Accommodation in Buddhist Circuit including Promotion & Marketing: Proposals for selection of Consultant/Transaction Advisor for creation of tented accommodation have been invited and Ministry of Tourism is producing short films on Buddhist sites of Bodhgaya, Sarnath, Kapilvastu, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Vaishali, Rajgir and Sanchi for showcasing these destinations in domestic and international markets.
2. Extending Incentives for Improving Air Connectivity: 46 Tourism routes have been awarded to identified airlines by Ministry of Civil Aviation under the RCS UDAN3 Scheme. 21 of these routes have been operationalized till date.
3. Capacity Building Programmes in &around Iconic Sites(Language training of Tourist Facilitators): Incredible India Tourist Facilitator (IITF) Certification Programme, a pan-India online learning programme has been launched and over 7000 participants have registered for the programme and examination for the 1^st batch of IITF Certification basic course exam has been held.

(iii)  Ministry of Education: Under the Internationalization of Higher EducationScheme, work has started with respect to the following three sub-schemes:

1. Scholarships: A total of 3668 scholarships have been utilised during the academic years 2019 and 2020.
2. Strengthening of Infrastructure: Data collection from all the partnering institutes to identify the institutes for the purpose of this sub-scheme has commenced.
3. Translation of promotional material text in multiple languages: Existing brochures are being translated into various foreign languages.

An amount of Rs 100 Cr was allocated in RE 2020-21, of which Rs 87.21 Cr has been utilised.

(iv)   Ministry of AYUSH launched its sectoral scheme in 2020-21 and out of Rs.15.00 Crore allocated for FY 2020-21, Rs.10.59 Cr has been released. Proposals have been invited for establishment of AYUSH Super Specialty Hospitals/Day Care Centresto promote AYUSH based medical tourism and for skill development in AYUSH sector.

(v) Department of Telecommunicationwas allocated a total of Rs 15 Cr in 2019-2021, of which they have spent Rs.1.07 Crunder theirsectoral scheme ‘Brand building of India as Telecom Manufacturing and Services Destination’. Department of Telecommunication has released grants for participation in events like Global Exhibition on Services, Bangalore, BASIS Soft Expo,ConnecTechAsia 2020, AfricaCom 2020,Africa ICT Expo 2020 and India Mobile Congress 2020.

Source: PIB