MANGALDAI, July 27 � In an industrially backward district like Darrang, where unemployment is considered to be one of the major hurdles for development, the Rural Self Employment Training Institute (RSETI), run by leading nationalised bank, UCO Bank, under the aegis of Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, has brought a ray of hope for the unemployed youths in the rural areas.
The institute, which has been functioning in a temporary set-up within the campus of the Dalgaon-Sialmari Development Block near Kharupetia since 2012, has so far offered training to 1,617 unemployed youths under BPL (below poverty level) for various short time professional courses and also guided 468 of them to get self-employed with their own investment, while another 226 started their enterprises with bank loans and 257 got opportunity to engage in different private and government institutions.
Darrang Deputy Commissioner MS Manivannan, who also holds the post of chairman in the district-level advisory committee, told newsmen at a press conference on the institution premises on Thursday that the district administration is closely monitoring the beneficiary selection of all the government sponsored employment generation schemes like PMEGP, Kalpataru, EGM, etc., to ensure priority of the competent candidates who have successfully completed training in the institute. He said, �we are looking forward to create cent per cent employment avenues for the competent trainees of the institute.�
Manivannan further said that in the current financial year, the institute has set a target of offering training to 775 youths in 29 trades of various disciplines, covering the annual calendar of 407 days. The Deputy Commissioner has appealed to all the rural unemployed youths under BPL in the age group of 18-45 years, with only VIII standard academic background, to avail the opportunity free of cost.
In response to a question from mediapersons regarding arrangement of a permanent set-up of the institution, the Deputy Commissioner informed that there is no scarcity of funds, but as the matter of allotment of land at Khaloipara, Mangaldai is subjudiced, the necessary works for the institute�s permanent campus could not be carried out. He, however, assured alternative arrangements for the institute�s proper functioning.
Meanwhile, participating in the press conference, Kushal Saharia, Director, UCO- RSETI, Darrang informed that the institute, which has been offering skill upgrade training in 52 different curriculum, with a duration of six to 30 days each, is planning to produce scented sticks (dhup) of its own commercial brand as the district produces enough bamboo used as its primary raw material.
Earlier on the day, the Deputy Commissioner attended a valedictory function for the trainees under the programme �mechanical harvesting of coconut and coconut plantation� held on the institution�s premises. He also distributed certificates to 25 successful trainees of the course. The function was also attended by Biswajit Das, GM, District Industries and Commerce Centre (DICC), Darrang, Asish Ganguli, Lead District Bank Manager, Darrang , Debojyoti Bordhan, Deputy Finance Officer, Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust (BYST), Guwahati, Fajal Haque, BDO, Dalgaon-Sialmari Development Block, Girindra Deka, Functional Manager, DICC, Darrang, among others.
