Bhubaneswar: Both the BJD and the BJP are trying to claim the legacy of Utkal Gourab Madhusudan Das, whose 170th birth anniversary falls on Saturday. Das had laid the foundation of industrialisation in Odisha.
Both the BJD-led government in Odisha and the BJP-led Centre are organising parallel programmes to showcase their love and respect for this icon of Odisha.
While Union minister of skill development Dharmendra Pradhan will launch a skill-cum-common facility centre for filigree craftsman in Cuttack, chief minister Naveen Patnaik will inaugurate "Odisha's Best - World's next" programme at Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in the same city.
There will be competition for next two days on the Idco exhibition ground in Bhubaneswar on April 29 and April 30. The Odisha government will showcase the state's skills in 25 sectors. More than 200 people will take part in the exhibition.
Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan will inaugurate the skill-cum-common facility centre for filigree craftsman in Cuttack. The National Skill Development Corporation and the Gems and Jewellery Skill Council of India, in association with EduJobs Academy, are setting up the training facility specifically for Tarkashi artisans and goldsmiths to transform the folk art form of jewellery.
He will also launch the Urja Ganga Gas Pipeline Skilling Project to impart formal certification and training to semi-skilled and unskilled workers engaged in the Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra natural gas pipeline project being laid in Odisha.
Pradhan will also launch a pipe fitter-city gas distribution course, which will commence at the skill development institute in Bhubaneswar. This was announced here by GAIL director (projects) Ashutosh Karnatak and head of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendra Aatish Shrivastava.
An official said: "The artisans will get not only an opportunity to upgrade their skills, but also a window to connect with the global expo market. If any worker wants to take industry-level training, he can do so at the common facility centre with latest technology. The centre will also provide training on marketing strategies, including e-commerce, so that the artisans can be self-sustained and engage directly with buyers.
GAIL (India) Limited has entered into a quadripartite MoU with the corporation, Skill Development Institute-Bhubaneswar and Labour Net-Bangalore for skill development activities and recognition of prior learning (RPL) for generating jobs in various aspects of the pipeline project.
Karnatak said that RPL would recognise the prior experience of workers and they would get formal certificates. "Around 1,400 people will be covered initially," he said.
