(a) whether the Government has undertaken an assessment of the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) project and if so, the details thereof; and
(b) the steps undertaken by the Government to step up the functioning of STRIVE project to achieve the set targets by the end of the current year in Tamil Nadu?
(a) The Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) is World Bank assisted project to improve relevance and efficiency of skills developments through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and apprenticeship through Industry Clusters. Even during Covid- 19 pandemic, States including Tamil Nadu have continued the activities such as capacity building, procurement processes, etc. However, Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the STRIVE project such as enrollment, assessment and on job training in ITIs.
(b) Besides regular follow up, states including Tamil Nadu are allowed to achieve KPIs by the end of November 2022 so that the targets are achieved.