Varunmitra Skill Development Programme

National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) is an Autonomous Institute of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India (GoI) to facilitate Research & Development (R &D), Testing, Certification and Skill Development activities in the areas of solar energy technologies in the Country.

Under the skill development initiatives of the MNRE, NISE is mandated as the nodal agency for implementation of Solar Water Pumping Training Programme (Varunmitra).

Need

Solar PV Water Pumping systems are one of the most useful applications of Solar Energy for meeting irrigation needs. Through the KUSUM (Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahaabhiyan) scheme, Government aims to incentivize farmers to run Solar farm water pumps and use barren land for generating solar power. Installation of such a large number of Solar Pumps would need trained and skilled manpower for installation/commissioning as well as repair/maintenance. 

Objective

The objective of the present training programme is to impart knowledge and guidance in the design, installation, commissioning, safety, troubleshooting as well as operation & maintenance of the solar water pumping systems to create a pool of trained and skilled workforce which will be called as" VARUNMITRAS".

Programme overview

This is a 3 weeks/21 days/120 hours residential skill development programme following the Qualification Pack (QP) of SGJ/Q0112.  

The applicable National Occupational Standard (NOS) is SGJ/N0134 for the design, Installation, and Commissioning of Solar Water Pumping Systems.

The participants would be provided boarding and lodging facilities at the Training Centre (TC) by the Training Partner (TP). At the end of the course, Assessment and certification shall be done by the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ) or by the identified assessing body (SCGJ) as informed by NISE.

Eligibility

• Diploma (Electrical/Electronics/Civil/Mechanical) or pre-final engineering and technology candidate with 3 years of formal engineering education
  The participants working in the area of SPV pumps will be preferred.
• Minimum age: 20
• Special emphasis is to be given to the persons coming from rural backgrounds, women, unemployed youth, SC/ST category.

Admission

• The Training partners empanelled by NISE will advertise about the batches of the program including dates and the venue of the training in the print and/or electronic media.
• The final selection of the trainees for the program shall be made by Training partner and the details of the proposed participants must be communicated to NISE/concerned SNA before the commencement of the program.
• During the selection of trainees, special emphasis to be given to the trainees coming from rural background, unemployed, women candidates, SC/ST candidates.

Fee Structure

• No fee will be charged from the trainees. However, the trainees will make their own arrangement for joining the training and going back. Any amount collected as security deposit must be refunded at the end of the course and need to be in the proper records.
• The boarding and lodging of the trainees will be provided by the organizing institution. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through State Nodal Agency will provide Rs 250 - 375 per trainee/day for 30 trainees for 90 days, based on cateogry of cities). The rates are Rs 375 per trainee/day for Category X and Rs 315 per trainee/day for Category Y cities and Rs 250 per trainee/day for Category Z cities .
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through State Nodal Agency will provide course fee to the institute at the rate of Rs 49/- per hour per participant. The base cost rate per participants will be Rs. 53.90/- per hour for the trainings conducted in the North Eastern Region States, Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lashadweep and districts affected by Left Wing Extremism (LWE) as identified by the M/O Home Affairs.
• The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy through State Nodal Agency will provide assessment charges for 30 trainees @ Rs 1000/- per trainee

Outcome of the training

After completion of Course, Trainees may be able to:

• Know the basics of Solar Water Pumping Systems
• Operate Solar Water Pumping System & Maintain them
• Work for execution project
• Plan & Install Solar Water Pumping System
• Testing and Commissioning of Solar Water Pumping Plant

Source : NISE