Odisha to invest Rs 1,000 crore for skill development: Naveen Patnaik

BHUBANESWAR: To create the 'Skilled in Odisha' brand name, the state government today decided to invest Rs 1,000 crore for setting up of eight advanced skill development centres, besides upgrading existing institutes in order to train eight lakh youths in three years.

"We have to leap forward ahead of the present. Three years from now, every graduate of an ITI of the state will be at the forefront of technology.

"With an outlay of Rs 1,000 crore and loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), eight advanced skill development training institutes will come up in different parts of the state," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said while inaugurating the Odisha Skill Development Authority ( OSDA).

Stating that the state must make 'Skilled in Odisha' a reality, the Chief Minister said, "We should work for the day when the world will ask are you skilled in Odisha."

Noting that its a herculean task to impart world class training to eight lakh youths in 36 months, Patnaik said "Our strategic focus for the next 18 months will be on three key areas - revamping existing ITIs, partnering with ADB to set up eight state of the art advanced skill training institutes and working with short term skill partners."

In the last two years, Patnaik said 3.3 lakh youths in the state have been trained, equipping them with employability and self employment skills.

The remaining eight lakh youths need to be trained in order to seek employment in a global environment, he said.

"We will have to give them the knowledge, the skills and the attitude that make them stand out in an extremely competitive job market," he added.