NABARD keen on skill development of youth

The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) was keen on increasing rural employment opportunities by providing skill development training for youth and was supporting various initiatives across the country to provide the training to about 10 lakh persons a year for three years, its Deputy Managing Director R.Amalorpavanathan said here on Friday.

Inaugurating training courses on tailoring and nursing assistants offered with the bank’s support at Diksha, the Dalmia Institute of Knowledge and Skill Harnessing at Lalgudi near here, Mr.Amalorpavanathan said the skill development initiatives were being implemented in association with over 80 companies to offer training on a wide variety of skills required to equip rural youth.

“We are also keen on multi-skilling so as to ensure that a person acquires skills in multiple area to get employment on a continuous basis. For, skills in one area may not be adequate to get regular employment in rural areas,” he said.

He also disclosed that the NABARD was looking to tap the spare capacity of institutions such as the Industrial Training Institutes to provide training for youths. An initiative to extend credit for skill training was also being implemented on pilot basis and there was scope to expand it. He commended the Dalmia Bharat Foundation for its initiatives in skilling youths through Diskha.

S. Nagoor Ali Jinnah, Chief General Manager, NABARD, Chennai, said the bank has already partnered with the Dalmia Bharat Foundation in watershed development and other areas and was looking to expand its cooperation with the foundation.

Vishal Bhardwaj, Deputy Executive Director and Group Head, CSR, Dalmia Bharat Limited, said the training was provided to the standards set by the National Skill Development Corporation.

R.Gururajan, Deputy Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, Dalmia Bharat Cement, and S.Suresh Kumar, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, Tiruchi, were present.

Later speaking to The Hindu, Mr.Amalorpavanathan said the NABARD had extended financial assistance to the tune of ₹12.24 crore to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University’s Agricultural College and Research Institute in Madurai for setting up an agri business incubation centre.

The centre is likely to be opened in April. The incubator would seek to promote entrepreneurship in agri-business and the training facilities of the TNAU college would be utilised.

NABARD was also keen on promoting Farmers Producers Companies in a big way.

A massive programme to support infrastructure for dairy development, covering the entire supply chain, had also been taken up with an allocation of ₹8000 crore, he said.

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