The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will set up a centre of excellence in entrepreneurship training in Kolkata, said Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday. She pointed out that by creating promising entrepreneurs the project would play a significant role in employment generation in the State.
At a government programme at Telecom Ground at Lalpur in Purulia, she said under the project youth would receive job-oriented training for about six moths and the State government would assist them in finding employment. “Within two years, we (State government) will provide training to 10 lakh youths and arrange jobs for them,” said Ms. Banerjee.
In a post on her page on a social networking site earlier in the day, Ms. Banerjee described the centre ‘the first of its kind in the world’. She said apart from other States it would connect West Bengal with developing and developed nations. Ms. Banerjee said that the proposed centre would provide training and skill development facilities to promising entrepreneurs along with ‘access to finance’. She further said that by creating young entrepreneurs and therefore more jobs, the initiative would give a major boost to the economic activity in the State.
The centre for excellence in entrepreneurship training will be set up in collaboration between Empretec and the State government. Empretec is an integrated capacity building programme of the UNCTAD.
In a move to resolve the long-standing drinking water problem in Purulia, Ms. Banerjee said the piped drinking water project taken up by the State government in partnership with the Japanese government would be completed in two to three years.
“The Japanese government has set a target of completing the project by 2017 , she added.” Ms. Banerjee said that that the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) government has already completed five drinking water projects at a cost of Rs. 21 crore and at present, 45,000 people are benefiting from them.
The State government has set up several clusters of micro, small and medium enterprises that will provide jobs to around 50,000 people.
She also declared that a Chhau dance (an indigenous dance form) academy would be set up in Purulia. Ms. Banerjee urged industrialists to set up hotels and resorts in peaceful Purulia to give a boost to the tourism industry.