NEW DELHI, April 24 - Faced with dearth of skilled construction workers, Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal urged Minister of State, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) Rajiv Pratap Rudy to create a pool of quality contractors through proper training and expertise.
The Chief Minister today called on Rudy and sought his help to create a pool of quality contractors in the State for taking up major infrastructure projects like roads and bridges, water supply and power projects and those under JICA, World Bank and ADB externally aided projects.
�Dearth of quality contractors in Assam has created difficulties for us considering the huge network of roads as well as bridges we have to build in the next two-three years. I would like to request you to help us in tiding over this difficulty by creating a pool of quality contractors through proper training and expertise,� he said.
Sonowal further urged Rudy to help in importing skills to youth with minimum education for their recruitment in the Indian Army, CRPF and major organisations like the Railways.
Following this suggestion, Rudy said that his Ministry in association with the World Bank technical team, NTPS and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship in Guwahati will organise a series of enhancement building capacity programmes to create a pool of qualified contractors capable of taking up major projects in Assam.
In course of the discussions, Union Minister Rudy said the Centre would extend 100 per cent support to Government of Assam�s Skill Development Mission initiatives.
On drivers� training centres in the State, the senior officials apprised the Minister that a 10-acre land parcel on lease will be provided for these centres and land of Assam State Transport Corporation for skill centres all over the State. An MoU will be signed between the State and the Centre for jointly operating this centre by NSDC and MSDE.
Rudy said that his Ministry is interested to set up an International Skill Centre in the State and asked the State Government to allot a suitable land in and around Guwahati for the purpose.
Rudy said his Ministry is keen to organise skill exhibition in four-five locations in Assam and will tie up with partners National Skill Development Corporation and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship in Guwahati for successfully organizing the event.
