Cuttack: In a significant step towards employment generation in Odisha, Union Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Shri Dharmendra Pradhan inaugurated the Skill-cum-Common Facility Centre for Filigree Craftsman at Cuttack today and launched the Urja Ganga Gas Pipeline Skilling Project to impart formal certification and training to semi-skilled and unskilled workers engaged in the Jagdishpur – Haldia & Bokaro – Dhamra natural gas pipeline (JHBDPL) project being laid in the state.
The projects were launched on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Utkal Gourab Shri Madhusudan Das, who laid the foundation of industrialisation in Odisha. They have been conceptualised as a mark of respect for Utkal Gourab Shri Madhusudan Das to carry forward his legacy.
The Hon’ble Minister also launched a Pipe Fitter-City Gas Distribution (CGD) course which will commence at the Skill Development Institute in Bhubaneswar.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan said, “it is our endeavour to provide world-class facilities for skill training and to promote the traditional art and crafts of Odisha. As a part of this journey, we are delighted to announce the launch of Prime Minister Kaushal Kendra, a state-of-the art centre that will meet the local demands and hope this will definitely encourage the craftsmen of Cuttack and their craftsmanship to reach the whole world and they will get an opportunity to sell their products in different countries”.
Adding to this, Shri Pradhan said that such initiatives will also boost tourism in Cuttack and more numbers of tourists will come to Cuttack to not only buy filigree but also other famous products of Cuttack including Khandua Textile, horn and terracotta work.
Speaking on this occasion, Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, Hon’ble MP, Cuttack said, “I am very happy that, the Government of India has strengthened its support for such great initiative which will help in boosting Cuttack’s economy and make Odias self-reliant.”
Shri Rajeev Sethi, Designer, Scenographer and Art Curator hailed this as a great initiative by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan. Cuttack has renowned artists. “We need to take care of such traditional art, we need to encourage such artisans and male them world class. Let the world know what filigree is all about. There should be filigree international festival where the world gets to know what we are capable off. It is a great initiative which will boost the confidence of small artists and also make them entrepreneurs. This market oriented training and common facility centre is a great idea by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan”, he said.
The Hon’ble Minister inaugurated the Skill-cum-Common Facility Centre for Filigree Craftsman at Cuttack. NSDC and Gems and Jewellery Skill Council of India, in association with EduJobs Academy, are setting up the state of the art training facility specifically for Tarkashi artisans and goldsmiths to transform the folk art form of Gems and jewellery.
With the establishment of the Centre, the artisans will not only get an opportunity to upgrade their skills but will also get a window to connect with the global expo market. If any worker wants to take industry level training, he can do so at the Common Facility Centre with latest technology. The Centre will also provide training on marketing strategies, including e-commerce, so that the artisans can be self-sustained and engage directly with buyers.
GAIL (India) Limited, which is implementing the JHBDPL, has entered into a quadripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Skill Development Institute-Bhubaneswar and LabourNet-Bengaluru for Skill Development Activities and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for generating employment in various aspects of the pipeline project, popularly known as Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga.
RPL will recognise the prior experience of workers and they will get formal certificates which will help boost their income. Safety training will also be an integral part of their training and around 1,400 people will be covered initially. Later, more people will be trained as the pipeline work progresses.
This skilling project, being rolled out in Jajpur and Bhubaneswar in Odisha will offer training to unskilled youths in various trades such as Welder, Fitter, Electrician, Earth Moving Equipment Operator, etc. The training program will consist of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Bridge Course of 52 hours duration on the specific trades and is expected to cover workmen from Urja Ganga Gas Pipeline Project in UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha & West Bengal. NSDC shall be the Project Implementation Consultant (PIC) & LabourNet shall be the Project Implementation Agency (PIA) for the Skilling Project.
Most of the workers involved in the pipeline project with low educational level or with absence of formal training, have learnt skills on the job. RPL gives them a platform to assess their skills and get certified, adding credibility to their skills. Through RPL combined with Bridge Training, the workers get a chance to improve their skills and learn new methods of increasing their productivity and efficiency at the workplace.
Hon’ble Minister Shri Pradhan also launched the Pipe Fitter-CGD course, being conducted by SDI Bhubaneswar in collaboration with GAIL, to provide much-needed skilled manpower for on-going City Gas Distribution projects in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack as part of Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga.
The Pipe Fitter-CGD is a special course which provides employability in City Gas Distribution, Oil Refineries, Power Plants, and other manufacturing industries with piping, vents and ducts for gas, liquid or air. It will be a three months residential programme in which students will be provided free boarding and lodging on the campus apart from uniforms, bags, study material, insurance, shoes, etc. They will also be given placement / self-employment assistance at the end of the course. Initially, 30 students will be trained in the first batch.
GAIL, India’s premier natural gas company, is implementing the prestigious 2,655 Km long JHBDPL project which was commenced by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in July 2015. The project is progressing in full swing and GAIL till date has committed over Rs7,400 crores for the project which will pass through the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha. The project will usher industrial development in eastern part of India by supplying environmentally clean natural gas to fertilizer and power plant, refineries, steel plants and other industries.
On this occasion, amongst other dignitaries Shri Bhartruhari Mahtab, MP, Cuttack, Shri Sameer De, former Minister Govt. of Odisha, Dr. Sanjay Panda, former Chief Secretary, Tripura and former Secretary Textiles to the Government of India, Shri Rajeev Sethi, Designer, Scenographer and Art Curator, Padma Vibhushan Dr. Raghunath Mohapatra, an Architect and Sculptor, Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, MSDE, Shri Premkumar Kothari, Chairman, Gems & Jewellery Skill Council of India, Shri Pramod Agrawal, Chairman, Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, Dr. Ashutosh Karnatak, Director (Projects), GAIL, Shri Ram Mohan Mishra, Additional Secretary & Development Commissioner, MSME, Shri N N Rao, CEO, SDI, Bhubaneswar, Ms. Gayatri Vasudevan, CEO, Labour-Net were also present at the occasion.

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