Assam cabinet gives nod to Rs 600 crore project to skill youths

GUWAHATI: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said his cabinet has approved a Rs 600-crore project to develop skill education centres across the state in association with Tata group firm Nelco. Addressing a press conference here after a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Sarma said the project will be funded jointly by Nelco and the Assam government.

"The state cabinet has approved the nomination of Tata's Nelco as a strategic partner with Sarba Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) for the implementation of 50 hubs and 500 spokes model for skill education across Assam," he said.

The total cost of the project will be Rs 600 crore, of which 75 per cent will be invested by the Tata Group, and the remaining by the Assam government, Sarma said.

"In the first phase, 10 hubs and 70 spokes (smaller hubs) will be established. Both hub schools and spoke schools will be secondary and higher secondary ones, approved under SSA for skill education ," he said.

Also read Cabinet approves Rs 4,200 crore MERITE scheme to improve technical education, create jobs

Each sector will be equipped with two trainers

Each hub will offer 10 futuristic trades or sectors and will be equipped with two trainers. Each spoke will offer two trades or sectors and will also have two trainers. The hub and spoke will be connected via satellite communication provided by Nelco. Sarma also said the state cabinet has approved the ceremonial distribution of sanction letters to 3,14,773 beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).

"The Assam cabinet expresses heartfelt gratitude to the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing the establishment of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Guwahati," the CM said.

This step will not only strengthen higher education and research in the region, but also open new avenues of growth, innovation and opportunities for the youth of the northeast, he said. Sarma alleged that the Congress, when it was in power in Assam, failed to get the AIIMS or IIM despite the UPA government being at the Centre.

"When the UPA government decided to give one AIIMS and IIM... both went to Shillong," he said, referring to IIM-Shillong and the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS). The state cabinet also approved naming the four-lane flyover on GNB Road from Dighali Pukhuri to Noonmati as the 'Maharaj Prithu Flyover' to have an inspirational and motivational effect on the present and future generations of the indigenous population of Assam, he added.