Odisha to get Centre of Excellence in skill development: Union minister

Bhubaneswar, Mar 20 (PTI) Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary on Thursday said Odisha will get one Centre of Excellence in the field of skill development.

The Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) said this while meeting Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi here.

Chaudhary said the Central budget this year has made provision for opening five Centres of Excellence in the field of skill development.

"Odisha will get one of the five such centres," he said, according to a press release issued by the CMO.

The meeting discussed the opening of more skill development centres in Odisha, strengthening the ITIs in the state, setting up more 'World Skill Centres', multi-language training centre for skill development students, including ITIs in PM-Janman Yojana for skill development of youth in tribal areas.

The union minister gave a positive opinion on all these proposals and said that a decision on these proposals would be taken soon, the CMO release said.

Earlier on the day while attending the valedictory session of the two-day capacity building workshop on 'Catalysing Entrepreneurial Growth: Enhancing Financial Inclusion, Market Access and Digital Competence', Chaudhary said the world is looking towards India and the country presents a significant competitive advantage.

"The world is eyeing India for the quality of its products, its citizens, and its businesses, which presents a significant competitive advantage. Our industries must focus on product quality to distinguish themselves globally. To achieve this, industries need to invest in entrepreneurs and support them in every possible way for our economy to progress," he said.

Stating that the Union Budget 2025 has emphasised initiatives targeting women and underserved categories, the minister said that loan sanctions of around Rs 10,000 crore under the Fund of Funds (FoF) is now made accessible for them to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys.

He said the government has implemented various schemes to assist citizens in pursuing their dreams, but these will only be effective if "we learn to utilise them as our right." This two-day training session will catalyse the entrepreneurial spirit in budding entrepreneurs and help them to gain a deeper understanding of government initiatives, financial literacy, market access, and digital competence, he said.

The workshop was attended by more than 100 entrepreneurs from Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh. PTI AAM AAM RG

Source: PTI