The Union Cabinet has approved a National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme to train 50 lakh apprentices by 2019-20. The Scheme involving a cost of Rs 10,000 crore will catalyze the entire apprenticeship ecosystem in the country.It will offer a win-win situation for all stakeholders and is expected to become one of the most powerful skill-delivery vehicle in the country. <br/><br/>It provides for incentivizing employers to engage apprentices and 25 per cent of the total stipend payable to an apprentice would be shared with employers directly by the Government. It is for the first time a scheme has been designed to offer financial incentives to employers to engage apprentices. Besides,50 per cent of the total expenditure incurred on providing basic training will be supported by the government.<br/><br/><br/>The Cabinet today also approved a long-term contract by signing an MoU with Mozambique for import of pulses either through the private channels or government-to-government sales. It will promote the production of Tur dal and other pulses in Mozambique by encouraging progressive increase in the trading of these pulses. <br/><br/>The MOU includes targets for exports of Tur and other pulses from Mozambique to India for five financial years and aims at doubling the trade from one lakh tonnes in 2016-17 to two lakh tonnes is 2020-21. It will also augment domestic availability of pulses in India and thereby stabilise its prices. The total pulses production in the country during 2015-16 is estimated to be 17 million tonnes while 5.79 million tonnes of pulses were imported to meet the domestic requirements. <br/><br/>However, the total availability of pulses including domestic production and imports were was less than domestic requirements putting pressure on the prices of pulses during the year 2015-16 and current year. To mitigate the shortfall in availability of pulses , the Government has decided to enter into long term government to government arrangement with Mozambique so as to ensure assured availability of pulses. The signing of this MoU with Mozambique may also lead to similar arrangements with other countries. <br/><br/>The Union Cabinet also gave its approval for signing of an MoU between India and Mozambique on prevention of illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals and related matters. The MoU is aimed to enhance mutual cooperation between the two countries in combating illicit trafficking in Narcotic drugs and their precursors through exchange of information, expertise and capacity building. <br/><br/>The Cabinet also approved an MoU between India and Tanzania in the field of traditional systems of medicine and homeopathy. It will provide structured frame work for the cooperation between the two countries for the promotion and propagation of Indian Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy in Tanzania.