Skill Development Allowance Scheme

What is the Skill Development Allowance Scheme?

Skill Development Allowance Scheme is a scheme of the Department of Labour and Employment, Government of Himachal Pradesh, under which a monthly allowance is granted to unemployed youth of the state who take up skill training or skill upgradation. The department introduced it to address a specific gap: a young person from a remote block may be able to get a training seat, but cannot afford the travel, lodging and lost daily earnings that attending the course for several months involves. The allowance is aimed squarely at that cost of attendance.

The scheme should not be read as an income support programme. It is conditional on actually attending a course, and the training institute's attendance certification is what keeps it running.

The three things the scheme rests on

• A live registration on the Employment Exchange Management Information System at eemis.hp.gov.in.
• Enrolment in a recognised skill development or upgradation course.
• Continued attendance, certified periodically by the training institute.

Remove any one of the three and the allowance stops. Most problems reported by trainees trace back to one of them rather than to the merits of the case.

Who is eligible for the Skill Development Allowance?

You can be considered if:

• You are a bonafide resident of Himachal Pradesh, with a bonafide Himachali certificate to show it.
• You are unemployed at the time of claiming.
• You are registered on the Himachal Pradesh employment exchange at eemis.hp.gov.in and that registration is current.
• You are enrolled in a recognised skill development or upgradation course at an ITI, polytechnic or a training provider recognised by the state.
• Your family income is within the ceiling prescribed for the scheme, evidenced by a current income certificate.
• You are within the age band the department prescribes.

You are not eligible if:

• You are in employment, whether government, private, contractual or casual. The allowance exists to support training by an unemployed person.
• You are not enrolled in a qualifying course, or you enrolled and then stopped attending. Enrolment alone does not sustain the allowance.
• Your employment exchange registration has lapsed beyond the grace period.
• You are not a bonafide resident of Himachal Pradesh.
• Your family income exceeds the ceiling set for the scheme.
• You are already drawing another allowance for the same period that the department treats as overlapping, for example the state's unemployment allowance. Declare what you receive and let the exchange decide.

The exact age band, income ceiling, monthly rate and maximum duration are set by the department and are revised from time to time. Get them confirmed in writing by your district Employment Exchange before enrolling in a paid course on the strength of an expected allowance.

How to apply for the Skill Development Allowance

1. Register on the employment exchange at eemis.hp.gov.in if you are not already registered. Registration is free, open to bonafide Himachali residents above 14 years of age, and is to be processed within 30 days under the Public Service Guarantee Act.
2. Confirm the course qualifies before you pay anything. Ask the district Employment Exchange, in writing, whether the specific course and training provider you have in mind are covered by the scheme.
3. Enrol in the course and obtain the enrolment or admission letter stating the course name, duration and the institute's details.
4. Obtain the certificates you will need through the HimSeva portal at himseva.hp.gov.in, the Bonafide Himachali Certificate and the Income Certificate are both issued there as citizen services.
5. Open or confirm a bank account in your own name and get it Aadhaar-seeded.
6. File the claim at the district Employment Exchange with the registration card (X-10), enrolment letter, certificates, educational marksheets, Aadhaar card and bank passbook, plus a photocopy set.
7. Collect the written acknowledgement with a diary number, and keep it for every later follow-up.
8. Submit the training institute's attendance certificate each period as required, and tell the exchange when the course ends or if you leave it.

What documents are required?

How do I check my registration and claim status?

1. Log in through Candidate's Corner on eemis.hp.gov.in to see your registration record and its renewal date.
2. Download the Registration Card (X-10) from the same section and check that your qualifications on record are current. An outdated qualification record is a quiet cause of trouble later.
3. For the allowance claim, contact the district Employment Exchange where you filed, quoting your diary number.
4. Escalate to the Directorate of Labour and Employment at Shimla on 0177-2625277 or lep-hp@nic.in if the claim does not move.

Remember that renewal is due every 3 years, with a 2-month grace period allowed around the renewal date. Diarise it. A trainee halfway through a course whose registration quietly lapses loses the allowance for reasons that have nothing to do with the training.

Why Skill Development Allowance claims fail

• The course was not a qualifying one. This is the most expensive mistake, because the fee has usually been paid by the time it emerges. Confirm the course before enrolling.
• Attendance shortfall. The allowance follows attendance; a gap in the institute's certification stops the payment.
• Exchange registration lapsed and not renewed within the grace window.
• Income certificate expired or issued for the wrong household.
• Employment taken up during the course without informing the exchange, which turns subsequent payments into a recoverable overpayment.
• Bank account in a parent's name or a joint account, so the transfer fails.
• Name or date of birth mismatch between the matriculation certificate, Aadhaar and the exchange record.

How this scheme sits alongside the department's other allowances

The Department of Labour and Employment runs three allowances that readers regularly confuse:

• Skill Development Allowance Scheme — you are unemployed and undergoing training.
• Unemployment Allowance Scheme, you are educated, unemployed and looking for work.
• Industrial Skill Development Allowance. You are a Himachali worker who has just been employed by an industrial unit in the state.

A single person may pass through all three positions over a couple of years, but not at the same time. Tell the exchange when your situation changes rather than letting a claim run on in the wrong category.

Help and grievance redressal

• Department of Labour and Employment toll-free number: 1800 180 8076
• Directorate of Labour and Employment: 0177-2625277, New Himrus Building, Circular Road, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh
• Email: lep-hp@nic.in
• HimSeva citizen helpline: 0177-3525111 for bonafide and income certificates

Employment exchange registration is free, and filing this claim is free. No agent can arrange an allowance, and no official will ask for your OTP or bank credentials.