KOCHI: The government will soon set up facilitation centres at the district level for entrepreneurs who comes up with an innovative idea without any financial backing. “We are planning to open facilitation centres in every district industries centres to assist prospective entrepreneurs. The facility will have experts hailing from different fields. The centres will be available for a day each week to clarify their doubts,” said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Professional Students’ Summit jointly organised by Additional Skills Acquisition Programme (ASAP) and Higher Education Department at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) at Kalamassery on Saturday. He requested the students to use their knowledge to help farmers and for the betterment of society. “Be it fisheries, dairy farming or agriculture, professional students can utilise their expertise in bettering production. We are trying to create value-added products from crops by combining industry with agriculture. Engineering students can contribute a lot to these fields,” he said.
A group of student representatives had an interaction with the Chief Minister. After hearing their suggestions for the betterment of various sectors, the Chief Minister has promised to consider them in the coming months. ss“Though many of these suggestions like flood mapping, eco-friendly construction, etc. are already under process, the government will seriously look into them,” said Pinarayi. Earlier, the CM inaugurated the event by announcing various steps taken by his government to improve the student’s participation in its initiatives. “Nava Keralam demands the support of young professionals. We are bringing in companies which will generate ample employment opportunities in the state. Ascend investors meet has attracted over `1 lakh crore worth investments from global leaders in the industry,” he said.
To tackle the future calamities, the government will soon form a volunteer group comprising 3,40,000 members for disaster management. “Experts will train them to be equipped to face the calamities and they will be deployed for relief works. The government will start the recruitment process for the group soon. As Kerala is rebuilding itself from the ruins of the flood, youth has a vital role to play in the process,” he said. The chief minister also exhorted students to participate in government initiatives. “Apart from the internship programme offered at local self-government level, professionals can join various government’s initiatives at a different level. They can also play a pivotal role in cleaning the water bodies,” he said.
Higher Education Minister K T Jaleel chaired the event. Gagandeep Kang, Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), and Fazal E K, chairman of KEF Holdings, delivered the keynote address. The event, held with different concurrent sessions on various fields, saw the participation of over 2,000 students studying different professional courses across the state.
A helping hand
Facilitation centres will be set up at the district-level to support entrepreneurs who comes up with an innovative idea without any financial backing To tackle the future calamities, the government will soon form a volunteer group comprising 3,40,000 members for disaster management