Social Security
2.32 Himayat: Placement linked skill development in
Jammu and Kashmir
‘Himayat’ provides young people in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) with skill training, followed by job placements.
Employment is followed by extensive post-placement tracking and support to ensure that trainees are able to adjust to work life.
The scheme is implemented in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of
J&K, along with partner training agencies. The youth enrolled for the training belong to the 18 to 35 years age bracket.
Rationale
The state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has faced prolonged
militancy, which has significantly affected the political
and economic climate of the state. Persistent danger to
the safety of life and property, lack of infrastructure and
hartals (strikes) hinder large scale private investment and
economic growth.
Employment opportunities with the government are
limited. The National Sample Survey Organisation
(NSSO) estimates that the number of unemployed
persons in J&K stands at 1.3 lakh (2007-2008). The State
District Employment and Counselling Centre (DECC),
J&K, showed the figure of unemployed persons to be
much higher, at 5.89 lakh as of March 2010. Since a
significant portion of the unemployed happen to be
young people, the situation poses two problems. The
first problem pertains to a development deficit that has
arisen through a persistent breakdown in the provision
of health, education and other basic services and limited
livelihood options. The second problem is that the
unemployed youth are vulnerable targets for militant
groups to recruit.
Image 1: Trainees at a learning centre in Sonwar,
Srinagar
Social Sector Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book 2015
With the market and private sector unable to provide
adequate livelihood opportunities to absorb the young
people into the labour force, state intervention became
necessary.
An Expert Group was constituted by the Prime Minister
to formulate an employment generation plan involving
both the public and private sectors in J&K. This Group
recommended a two-pronged strategy including steps
like sector-wise identification of initiatives for growth
and employment generation. The Group also proposed
to enhance employability of the youth by improving
their existing skill sets. This proposal was developed in
consultation with the Ministry of Rural Development as
a placement-linked, market-driven, skill development
scheme to provide employment to the youth of J&K.
The proposal was accepted by the Cabinet Committee on
Economic Affairs, and on May 19, 2011, it was approved
as a 100% centrally sponsored scheme called Himayat,
which means support and protection, to be implemented
in the entire state of J&K.
Objectives
Himayat aims to provide jobs in the private sector to
the unemployed youth of J&K by equipping them with
market-relevant skills. The scheme aims to conduct skill
training for 1 lakh youth in five years and provide at least
75% of them with jobs.
The focus is on youth from low-income families and
school dropouts. A minimum qualification of having
passed the eighth grade is necessary. The scheme is
completely free and open to all 18 to 35 year olds residing
in the State who meet the minimum qualification.
Preference is given to place young men outside the state
and young women within the state. The implementation
of the scheme is done by private companies or Non-
Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
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 Himayat: Placement linked skill development in Jammu and Kashmir

Key Stakeholders coordinators and identifies available job opportunities

The key stakeholders involved in the planning and
implementation of the programme include the Ministry
of Rural Development, National Institute of Rural
Development (NIRD), Project Implementing Agencies
(PIAs)/training agencies which are from both- the private
and NGO sectors, and employers and trainees.
and skill sets currently desired by employers. The market
scan is conducted before the start of each batch and
determines the batch size. Accordingly, the PIA prepares
the curriculum, decides batch size and selects area of
implementation along with submitting a proposal to the
State Representative (SR) of the MoRD.

Figure 1: Key stakeholders Due diligence by NIRD

Ministry of Rural Development

� Nodal ministry which has initiated the scheme and
provides funding
National Institute of Rural Development
� Nodal authority under MoRD which implements the
scheme by hiring training agencies, training of trainers,
providing funding and monitoring and evaluation
Training Agencies
The SR examines and approves the proposal, sanctions
funds and allocates blocks to the PIAs, which are
mandated to prepare training centres. There must be
at least one training centre per block. When recruiting
training staff for its centres, the PIAs try to hire locals to
the extent possible and provide them training. Before
the trainings begin, NIRD conducts due diligence of the
training centre to assess whether adequate infrastructure
is available. Each training centre must be able to cater to
at least 35 students.

� Project Implementing Agency (PIA) - Identifies

available jobs available jobs and required skills,
mobilises trainees, provides them training, conducts PIA mobilises community
placements, post-placement tracking and provides
support
Community mobilisation is the single most important
Employers component of the Himayat programme. Before
mobilisation begins, each PIA is allocated exclusive villages
� Provide employment to the beneficiaries and regular
inputs to training agencies on the required skill sets where no other training agency can operate. This is done
to avoid inter-agency rivalry and fix accountability. Image 2
shows the spread of Himayat centres across the State.
Trainees
� These are the main beneficiaries of the initiative. This strategy has another positive effect. As the trainees
Any resident of J&K, between 18-35 years of age, at a particular training centre are from the same locality,
with the minimum qualification of 8th grade pass, is they go together as a group and support each other
eligible for the scheme. School dropouts and
persons from poor/disadvantaged backgrounds are
given preference

Implementation Strategy
Himayat was piloted in the cities of Srinagar and Jammu
in 2011 with Infrastructure Leasing and Financial
Services (IL&FS), and Don Bosco Tech as the training
agencies. Initial challenges included weak infrastructure,
poor Information, Education and Communication (IEC)
outreach, and sub-optimal allocation of geographical
areas to training agencies. Post placement dropout rates
were high and a mere 30% of the trainees stayed on to
work.

The implementation strategy was revised in 2012 Image 2: ‘Himayat’ centres across Jammu &
and a new model was introduced. Following these
Kashmir
changes, the Project Implementing Agency (PIA)/training
agency conducts a market scan through placement Source: Himayat.org

230 Social Sector Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book 2015

Image 3: Sample infrastructure
in the event of them being placed outside the State.
While this strengthens their ability to cope with the new
environment, it also makes it easier for families to keep
track of them.
Mobilisation on a village saturation mode
The PIA must mobilise and train all the eligible
beneficiaries in each Gram Panchayat before moving
on to the next village. Local government officials such as
Sarpanchs, Panchayat members and block development
officers are contacted and their support is enlisted
before mobilisation. The main focus of the scheme is
on identifying truly needy and deserving candidates as
they are the intended beneficiaries and their retention
rates are much higher. Thus, the support of local level
representatives is crucial as they are aware of the poor and
disadvantaged candidates who need to be prioritised.
Extensive IEC campaigns are conducted with support of
the local administration. Multi-pronged IEC strategies,
Social Sector Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book 2015
Social Security
Clockwise from far left
i) Entitlement banner
ii) Biometric attendance
device
iii) Medical assistance and
pharmaceutical sales lab
iv) Hospitality lab
including advertisements in newspapers, pamphlets,
posters, hoardings, flip charts, village road-shows and
intensive door-to-door mobilisation are used to reach
out to the beneficiaries. To ensure maximum efficacy
of the campaigns, the entire team of the training centre
including the centre manager, domain trainers and staff
participate in mobilisation. The emphasis on hiring local
people for the project is, therefore, a strategic move.
In rural and remote areas of Kashmir, mosques form good
sites for mobilisation. The Friday prayer has substantial
congregation of the local community and some time is
sought to address and inform the gathered local youth
about the scheme.
Selection and training of candidates
Candidates arriving at the centre are subjected to a
screening test to determine their domain aptitude and
their eligibility for the scheme. The choice of vocation,
however, is ultimately left to them.
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 Himayat: Placement linked skill development in Jammu and Kashmir
If selected, parental consent is obtained. Parents are
informed about training programme details such as
duration and content of training, and minimum salary to
be offered after placement. The duration of the training
programme is either a three-month certificate course
or a six-month diploma programme, depending on the
training agency. Candidates are trained to be equipped
with a mix of skills required to make them job ready. The
training programme consists of the core domain expertise,
functional English, IT usage and life skills comprising
work life sensitisation and career skills. The current list of
domain subjects offered includes hospitality, accountancy,
customer relations and sales, Business Process Outsourcing
(BPO), retail, medical assistance and pharmaceutical
sales. During the training, Himayat alumni are brought
to the centres to interact with trainees and share their
experiences about their work life. Employers also visit
and share their expectations, especially regarding the
skill sets they are looking to hire. Trainees are given an
allowance of Rs. 50 per day, which is credited directly to
their bank accounts. There is also a provision for issuing
cash cards in case students do not have bank accounts.
Cash cards are purchased in exchange for money and the
equivalent monetary amount can be withdrawn from an
ATM without requiring a bank account.
Attendance is recorded biometrically and a minimum
80% attendance in tutorials is required for students to
continue.
After 70 days, students are sent for on-the-job-training
where they obtain first-hand experience of work life and
are trained by employers for about 15-20 days. After
this leg of training is complete, there is an independent
certification and assessment of the trainees by a third
party which is acceptable to industry/employers. Trainees
are placed in jobs in the formal sector only, so to ensure
that they are eligible for social benefits such as Provident
Fund and Employee State Insurance.
Post placement support
A key feature of Himayat is its extensive post-placement
support mechanism. Each training centre has a contact
person in whichever city its trainees are placed. The
contact person is responsible for providing assistance to
trainees and facilitates the opening of bank accounts,
finding accommodation and payment of post-placement
support. Post-placement support involves the payment of
Rs. 2,000 per month for six months to the trainees-turned-
employees, which is given because their initial salaries
are not always adequate. These post-placement funds
are provided only after salary slips are submitted by the
employees to ensure funds are given to genuine trainees.
To hasten the process of adaptation to their environment,
trainees from new batches visit the workplace of their
alumni and learn from the experiences of their peers.
232
People speak...
Fayyaz Ahmed Shaikh, Batmaloo, Srinagar
“I am the mohalla president
of SD Colony in Batmaloo.
I was approached by
the CAP Foundation
in 2012. They sought
help in mobilising the
community for Himayat.
I was overjoyed to hear
that such a scheme was
being implemented and
immediately conducted a survey of the unemployed
youth in my locality and assisted in their mobilisation
and enrollment. I was so impressed with the scheme
that I enrolled my own son into it. I now make it a
point to inform any needy candidate I come across
about the ‘Himayat’ initiative.
The training is free, there is a daily allowance, there
is a post placement allowance and a job is assured.
What more can one ask for? The only thing I would
request is that this scheme be continued for at least
another 15 years for ensuring qualitative impact.”
Monitoring and evaluation
Non-monetary post-placement support continues for
a year after the trainee starts working. Phone calls are
regularly made through the NIRD call centre to ascertain
whether any difficulties are being faced and physical
visits are made by its monitoring officials.
PIAs are monitored to assess whether fund utilisation
is taking place correctly and are visited at least once
a month. There is also an extensive Management
Information System (MIS) on which all the project data,
particularly the assessment data of students is constantly
uploaded, enabling implementing officials to keep track
of overall progress.
For grievance redressal, trainees can contact the Himayat
call centre within the state, which is maintained by the
NIRD. A helpline number is prominently displayed at
each training centre and at the NIRD project offices.
Resources Utilised
In terms of funding, the training cost per student is
Rs. 18,500 per month for the three-month certificate
Social Sector Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book 2015
 Social Security

Table 1: PIAs implementing ‘Himayat’ ranging from local businesses in J&K to large corporations
like Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), Chick Inn, Cafe
Total Total
Coffee Day, McDonald’s and Reliance.
PIA Name Training PIA Name Training
Centres Centres
Upward mobility in careers, exposure to other
DON BOSCO 23 JSL-LIFE 3 cultures, working environments: As these youth work
in the private sector which instantly rewards initiative
REDOX and hard work, several trainees have seen rapid career
IL&FS 38 2
LABS growth, outstripping the salaries of their former teachers
AIDE ET in a matter of months. Also, those placed outside the
INDIA CAN 14 4 State are exposed to new cultures and new styles of
ACTION
working, thereby widening their horizons. Many trainees
IKYA of Himayat have started their own enterprises after
HUMAN gaining work experience.
CAP
11 CAPITAL 5
FOUNDATION
SOLUTIONS Improved communication skills, greater confidence
LTD. and independence: Trainees report a huge increase in
their confidence and communication abilities after they
MASS
join the programme, and feel confident of meeting the
INFOTECH 6
demands of work life. Women in particular have been
SOCIETY
significantly empowered by the scheme, expressing a
Source: Himayat.org strong desire to be independent, pursue their studies,
support their families and continue working after
marriage.

programme and Rs. 28,000 per month for the six-
month diploma programme. These costs are met by the
Central government.
Impact
High placement rate: As of March 2014, a total of
19,811 youth have been trained and 15,489 have been
placed in jobs by the Himayat scheme, giving it a 78%
placement rate. Trainees work in various organisations
Initiative from local youth to undergo trainings: The
popularity of Himayat can be gauged by the fact that the
training centres are now seeing walk-ins and candidates
do not need to be mobilised. Every candidate enrolled as
a trainee makes it a point to spread awareness about the
scheme to his/her friends and, a large number of trainees
have joined Himayat through this informal peer referral
process.
Support from locals and employers: There is lot of
support for the scheme, particularly in remote areas, as
people feel they are being reached out to for the first

Image 4: (Left) Students of Customer Relations and Sales carry out a mock exercise with one playing buyer
and the other the seller in Sonwar, Srinagar; (right) Students practicing typing skills in the IT lab in Lal
Bazar, Srinagar
Source: CAP Foundation, and IL&FS 2014

Social Sector Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book 2015 233
 Himayat: Placement linked skill development in Jammu and Kashmir
time. The satisfaction level of employers also is so high
that certain employers now ask their other employees to
get Himayat training and certification.
Himayat has thus set off a virtuous cycle, which has the
potential to bring prosperity and peace to the region.
Unemployed youth who are potential targets for militants
and anti-social elements are now provided with jobs and
skills, increasing their individual and familial prosperity
and indirectly the community’s prosperity.
Highlights of facilities available at training centres
1. Biometric devices available with General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS)
2. Activity Planner - hourlytraining modules which
includes 60 hours of hands-on practice on a
computer for every trainee
3. Trainers-
a. One soft skill/communicative English
trainer
b. One IT trainer
c. Number of domain trainers equal to number of
domains run at centre
4. Training material:
a. Trainer’s manual
b. Equipment related with the course
c. Printed course material for students
d. Workbooks
e. Stationary
5. Practical lab for each domain
6. Computer lab with systems that match domain
strength
7. Typing tutor software
8. Projector
9. Entitlement banner put up at two conspicuous
places
10. Gensets for power backup
11. Printer and scanner with photocopy features
12. Laptop
13. Digital camera
14. Local Area Network (LAN) with broadband
234
Key Challenges
Low retention rates was the main challenge faced initially
as trainees who went out of the state would return home
because the salary provided would often be inadequate
to sustain themselves. Interviewees also spoke of
discrimination, especially when finding accommodation.
Also, the opening of bank accounts for trainees was
difficult due to the absence of necessary documents.
Thus, during the initial stages of implementation, the
dropout rate was as high as 70%. To resolve this problem,
monetary and non-monetary post-placement support
was introduced. Following this, dropout rates reduced to
30% but remain a challenge.
Effective community mobilisation was also a big
challenge. People’s fixation with only taking up jobs in
the public sector, which was especially strong in rural
areas, had to be broken. This was solved by explaining
that the comparatively low-qualified trainees of Himayat
are assured a minimum salary of Rs. 4,000 in the
private sector, which is more than what higher-qualified
applicants are offered in the public sector.
The lack of trust in the state was also a challenge.
People in the Kashmir valley are often cynical of
government interventions. The Himayat initiative was
initially perceived as just another showpiece, which
would not be effectively implemented. There was also
a fear that it was an NGO-driven initiative that was a
proxy for conversion by Christian missionaries. These
apprehensions were addressed by highlighting the fact
that it was a government initiative, more importantly
a Central government initiative which carried more
credibility in the eyes of people. Trainees who had
completed the training would also speak in support
of the initiative, and the involvement of local people
at all levels earned Himayat a lot of acceptability and
trust.
The use of external agencies for carrying out community
mobilisation also posed challenges. External agencies
would provide incorrect information and make false
promises to the trainees, leading to a loss of credibility
of Himayat. Fixing accountability became difficult as
villages were not always saturated and comprehensively
mobilised. Moreover, multiple agencies carrying
out mobilisation in a single village also led to several
problems. To solve this, the responsibility of mobilisation
was given to the training agencies which ran the training
centres.
Most importantly, in cases where trainees went out
of the state alone or in small groups, they were easily
demoralised in the new city, and dropped out. This
issue was resolved by ensuring that a minimum of eight
candidates from each village go out of the state together
so that they form a support system for each other, thus
enabling better retention.
Social Sector Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book 2015

Replicability and Sustainibility
Himayat is to be in operation only for five years, and is
slated to end in 2016. There is a strong demand from
the grassroots – the beneficiaries themselves, project
implementers and local elected representatives – for the
scheme continue for the coming 15 to 20 years, so that
it has a truly transformative impact. An initiative such as
Himayat is necessary, at least till the time a favourable
climate for private investment and entrepreneurship is
created.
People speak...
Abdul Basit Mir, Pulwama district
“All of us here are school
dropouts. We did not know
where we were going in
life and were a depressed
lot. Our parents were upset
as we were doing nothing.
The ‘Himayat’ mobilisation
team came to my house
and told my parents that a future can be made at
these training centres. Our parents are now very
happy as they know that now we have a future.
We also receive travel allowance for coming to
the training centre. All of us here want to do jobs,
get experience, continue our education at the
first opportunity and also setup our businesses in
future in Kashmir itself. We will be able to help
others like us and provide them employment.
There is this obsession with government jobs owing
to a minimum presence of the private sector but if we
can establish businesses here, then this generation
can move forward.”
As mentioned earlier, Himayat targets the most needy
and deserving candidates so that the human capital
investments yield maximum returns. This idea must be
placed centre-stage in efforts toward its replication. For
such an initiative to be successfully replicated, several
constructive steps are necessary. Such an initiative
must be implemented by locals, wherever possible,
for it to have acceptability and secure the trust of the
community.
The area of implementation directly affects the
efficacy of monitoring, making replication in larger
areas more challenging. Therefore, wherever possible,
the need was felt for emphasis on small units. Robust
grievance redressal and monitoring mechanisms are
crucial for quick redressal of problems and course-
Social Sector Service Delivery: Good Practices Resource Book 2015
Social Security
People speak...
Tausum Ishtiaq, Nasipora village,
Budgam block, Srinagar
“After completing my 10th
(Class), I could not continue
my education owing to
financial difficulties. It was
then that a friend from
my school-days informed
me about the ‘Himayat’
programme, telling me that
even with my basic education, I would have the
opportunity to get a job and earn a living. I was very
motivated at the thought of being independent and
supporting my family.
I come from a village which is 19 km away from the
training centre. Every day, I walk 5 km and catch a
bus to get here. Before joining this programme, I did
not know much about jobs, emails and computers.
I was so shy that I could not even speak in front of
two people. ‘Himayat’ has made me such that I can
now speak in front of even a hundred. I now feel
confident that I can handle any type of job.”
correction. Himayat has wisely deployed multiple
channels of monitoring with training agencies, NIRD and
the beneficiaries, all keeping an independent check on
performance. Such a robust system must be replicated
for successful monitoring.
Sustainability of the scheme was enhanced by post-
placement support to enable trainees to adapt to their
new environment. Going forward, placement outside
the state should be preferred as it provides enhanced
opportunities.
The presence of a major employment generating city
nearby is also important so that candidates have the
choice to forgo higher paying jobs for lower paying ones
if it is important for them to be closer to their families. An
opinion expressed in the field was that the IEC campaign
would need to be continuously updated to be in tune
with the times and should be accompanied with exposure
visits and alumni meets to get parental support.
Conclusion
Himayat has now stabilised with training centres on auto-
pilot mode, and its IEC campaign has been effective to
the extent that candidates are now proactively coming
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to the centres without need for mobilisation. However,
focus must be maintained on enhancing reach to the
truly backward and remote regions and increasing
retention of trainees from such regions. Himayat offers
hope to other beleaguered and violence affected areas.
It could be a way forward for areas such as Manipur and
the Red Corridor that are home to an alienated populace
with few livelihood opportunities, suffering from damage
due to violence, low private investment and rampant
corruption at the local level.

Fact Sheet

Theme Social Security

Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India and National Institute

Nodal Implementing Agency
of Rural Development

Geographical Coverage All districts of Jammu and Kashmir State

Unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir between the ages of 18-35

Target Groups
years

Years of Implementation 2011 - Present

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