Amaravati: Minister for Education and IT Nara Lokesh has directed officials to develop the upcoming 'Naipunyam' (skill) portal into a national role model for linking youth with employment opportunities.

At a review with officials from the Skill Development Department on Friday, the Minister examined a demo of the portal. He then instructed officials to integrate it with the Union government's PM Internship Scheme and launch the portal in September.

Officials opined that the portal will be the first of its kind in the country, connecting skill centers across the state, including NAC and C-DAC. The platform is designed to provide skill training to 50,000 young people annually. They mentioned that over 3,000 job categories across 36 sectors have already been onboarded on the portal.

Lokesh directed officials to ensure that the training prepares youth to meet the specific demands of various industries. He discussed several other educational matters. He approved a proposal for allowing visually impaired students to enroll in MPC and BiPC groups and directed officials to provide additional facilities for them.

Officials informed the Minister that 1.6 million people have been identified as part of the "Akshara Andhra" programme. Lokesh ordered the immediate launch of adult education training for these individuals.

Kona Sasidhar, Secretary for Skill Development and Training, and G. Ganesh Kumar, MD & CEO of AP Skill Development Corporation, Intermediate Education director Kritika Shukla, and others participated.