SHILLONG: Terming the North East as a “very potential area”, the Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreurship, Dharmendra Pradhan appreciated the working nature and the honesty of the people in the North East.
Speaking to reporters after a function at Headquarters of Directorate General of Assam Rifles (DGAR) on Saturday, he said, “The working nature of the North East people and honesty of the North East people are the two characteristics of the north east which create a natural advantage for reliable employment.”
According to him, the two characteristics are assets which can be converted to bigger assets through skilling eco-system which he said is a priority for the government.
He added that the challenge is on the ways and means needed to scale up the skilling eco-system in the North East. However, he expressed confidence that the mechanism will create a good eco-system.
Pradhan informed that he reviewed skill development efforts in all the North Eastern states at Guwahati on Friday and expressed confidence that with collective effort every state was doing something good and government of India was there to extend our help to them.
Speaking of the country in general, he said, “We have to scale up the skilling eco-system of the country where conventional skills will have to be institutionalised, modernised and to add on new skills to the youngsters and the existing workforce of the country.”
The Minister was present at the ceremony to sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Assam Rifles and National Skills Development Commission (NSDC) which is set to pave the way for retiring Assam Rifles personnel towards a second career based on prior learning and experience.
The ceremony was held in the presence of Pradhan, senior officials from Assam Rifles, officials from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and NSDC on Saturday.
With the signing of the MoU, approximately 1200 personnel who retire annually from Assam Rifles, stand to gain from the initiative.
Speaking at the function, the minister said that retired Assam Rifles personnel were a pool of highly disciplined and skilled individuals and stressed on the important of tapping into this resource.
Pradhan who is also the minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, promised to setup a mechanism to improve the supply of Fuel and Petroleum products to meet the needs of the force which is deployed in far flung corners of North East.
Meanwhile, Lt Gen Shokin Chauhan, AVSM, YSM, SM, VSM, Director General Assam Rifles said that the signing is just the start as felt the need to get the jawans skilled once they retire to get themselves rehabilitated for a second career.
“I am happy that the Union Minister came and along with that the promise of setting up some institutions here by which we can train our family and our children,” he said.
As an advantage to the locals in the North East, the training will be extended to them as well and his aim is to train the Assam Rifles to train the North East.
“Our larger aim is that a larger number of people in the North East get trained along with us,” he said.
Chauhan said that the army was a skilled unit and they needed to be retrained to deal with the world once they retire.