BHUBANESWAR: The state government will impart skill training in different trades to over 17,000 unemployed rural youths under the Centre’s Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) this year.
Accordingly, the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) on Thursday inked pact with 10 project implementing agencies (PIAs) in the state in the presence of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik.
ORMAS officials said the MoUs will facilitate free residential skill development training and placement opportunities to a total of 17,272 unemployed rural youths in different trades such as retail, healthcare, sewing machine operation, general duty assistance among others. Project outlay of around Rs 126 crore has been made for the purpose, they said.
Lauding the initiative by ORMAS, Naik said it has proved to be a platform for the rural youth of the state to break the shackles of poverty and earn their livelihood. “Collaboration with the PIAs will help in achieving the greater goal of equipping rural youth with required employable skills to improve their socio-economic condition,” he stressed. Shahi Exports, Sahana Clothing Company, Best Corporation, Armstrong Spinning Mills, Gokul Das Exports are among the 10 PIAs that have inked pact with ORMAS to train the rural youths.
“The initiative aims to equip the rural youths with market relevant skills, thereby enhancing their employability and contributing to the overall socio-economic development of the state,” said an official from ORMAS.
Since implementation of DDU-GKY programme, a little over 2 lakh youths have already received training of which around 1.16 lakh have been provided with employment opportunities in private companies.
Panchayati Raj secretary Sushil Kumar Lohani, ORMAS CEO Guha Poonam Tapas and other officials were present during signing of the MoUs.