NSDC to train 20,000 HCV drivers for SRT Undertakings

Mumbai, Aug 24 (IANS) The National Skill Development Corporation has joined hands with the Association of State Road Transport Undertakings to train 20,000 drivers who will operate heavy commercial vehicles, an official said here on Thursday.

ASRTU and its members will set up 70 Driver Training Institutes and upgrade other DTIs, as per a MoU signed with NSDC.

This is expected to skill unemployed youth and employees of various state road transport undertakings by skilling and upskilling them, said NSDC MD and CEO Manish Kumar.

"There is a huge demand for trained professional drivers who are skilled enough to operate modern day technologies like GPS, possess relevant soft skills, etc. The MoU with ASRTU will help bridge the gap between demand and supply of trained professionals in this sector," Kumar said.

Logistics companies have estimated a requirement of a million truck drivers every year, and the shortfall was likely to touch 50 per cent by 2020.

There is a 22 per cent shortage of drivers in the country, which is increasing every month and the 20,000 drivers to be trained by NSDC would help reduce this gap, Kumar pointed out.

He said that considering the growth of the commercial vehicles population, there was an urgent need for both skilled drivers and mechanical staff to augment the existing strength.

Founded in 1965, the ASRTU brings together all State Road Transport Undertakings on a common platform with the aim of pooling their resources, tackle various problems they encounter and help improve their performance.

Functioning under the Ministry of Road Transport, ASRTU has 62 members collectively operating 150,000 buses daily serving over 70 million passengers in urban, rural, hilly and coastal settings.

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