TURA: The first Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI) of Garo Hills was on Tuesday inaugurated by Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma at Tura in the presence of Parliamentary Secretary NR Marak and SBI Regional Business Office, Assistant General Manager, Nixon Joseph.
The RSETI is an innovative endeavor of the State Bank of India (SBI) in collaboration with the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and the BAKDIL to equip unemployed youth with necessary skills to pursue livelihood generation activities.
The RSETI is an accredited institution recognized by the government and as such unemployed youth trained by the institution will automatically qualify for financial assistance through loans from banks.
The Chief Minister, in his address, said that it was important to change the mindset of the youth by motivating them that one is capable of being productive outside the government sector.
He said the government has earmarked substantial amount of money to converge with banks to extend banking facilities to the rural areas.
He also announced that the State Government is embarking upon a special programme on Entrepreneurship for Youth and Women to reward and acknowledge the commitment level and dedication of young and women entrepreneurs.
While urging the rural youth to benefit from RSETI as a platform for securing livelihood he stressed on the need to uphold peace for development and maintained that the issue of immigration and influx will be addressed by appropriate measures.
Earlier in his welcome address, Assistant General Manager SBI, Nixon Joseph, said that RSETI is a free residential programme and the first batch of forty students will be trained in various skill development programmes designed according to needs beginning from September 30, 2013.
Among others who spoke at the function were Parliamentary Secretary NR Marak and West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Pravin Bakshi.
GHADC CEM Alphonse A Sangma, GHADC Chairman PK Sangma, senior citizens, officials from various government line departments and a large crowd of rural youth were among others who participated in the programme.