Ahead of the Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a skill development scheme Utkarsh Bangla on Tuesday claiming that it would generate large scale employment.
Addressing the gathering at the government programme, Ms Banerjee said: “Utkarsh means a mission and vision to be successful and transform our lives.”
She also said that this programme will provide vocational training to six lakh people every year and also provide opportunity of campus placements thereafter.
“Bengal is surging ahead in industrial training,” she said adding that in the four years of her rule, 4.75 lakh students in the State have received scholarships.
Ms. Banerjee claimed that under the Trinamool Congress government, 68 lakh youth have got jobs in the last four years.
Her comment drew severe criticism from the Communist Party of India(Marxist) who accused her of trying to “hoodwink the people” prior to the Assembly polls.
Senior CPI(M) leader and South 24 Parganas district secretary Sujan Chakraborty accused her of indulging in “political gimmickry” and said that she is spreading falsehood.
“She is used to making such false claims, but this time the Chief Minister has surpassed all limits of falsehood and made a mockery of herself,” Mr. Chakraborty told The Hindu .
PTI adds:
“In the next five years we will meet our target of training a minimum 30 lakh people,” Ms Banerjee said talking about the scheme for providing vocational training to school dropouts.
Under the State skill development mission, 15 lakh boys and girls have been given vocational training in the last four years out of which 10 lakh have secured jobs, she said. She also promised an ITI in every block and a polytechnic in every sub-division.
“The new ITIs will be run by our industrial friends. They were shortlisted through a tendering process. They will provide the training as well as give jobs in companies,” she said adding hostels are being built at a cost of Rs.35 crore.
The State has 250 ITIs and 186 polytechnic colleges at present. Seats in them have increased from 25,000 to 75,000.
To further industry collaboration, MoUs were signed with Agriculture Skill Council of India and Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI). In agriculture sector, Ms Banerjee said 100,000 people will get jobs while 30,000 will get in the construction industry with the CREDAI’S help.
“Talk to universities if needed (their help for getting campus placements) and big and small scale industries,” she said while adding the Employment Bank will now also include vocational jobs. “Even the police need people for those who don’t handle weapons,” she said.
Ms. Banerjee also inaugurated the Kolkata campus of Amity University and launched the ‘Online Single-Window Clearance System’ portal for industrial projects.
