GUWAHATI, Sept 6 - Asserting that the government was committed to promoting skill development and entrepreneurship in the State in a big way, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary today told the Assembly that sectors such as fishery, floriculture, and nursing have been identified as some of the key areas to focus upon.
Replying to a question by AGP legislator Pradeep Hazarika who lamented the lack of skilled manpower in the State, Patowary said that there was a huge demand for Indian nurses across South Asia and given that nurses from the northeastern states were a reputed lot in India, �it is entirely plausible to develop Assam and the Northeast as a nursing hub of Southeast Asia.�
Similarly, Patowary added that sectors where Assam had an inherent advantage would be promoted by creating skilled manpower, including self-entrepreneurship development.
�We will soon have an MoU with Taiwan � the Asian leader in floriculture � for tapping Assam�s potential in the sector. Then, as of now we are importing fish fingerlings from West Bengal but we have the potential to be the supplier, given our favourable environment. We are going to promote hatcheries in a massive way,� he said, adding that it would also ensure self-reliance in fish production.
Patowary said that for developing tourism, hospitality and retail, the State government had entered into an MoU with Singapore last year. �The Singapore External Affairs Minister is coming to Guwahati in November in this connection,� he said.
Stating that the government was working on the concept of a �Skill City� in Assam, Patowary said that vocational and technical skill-imparting institutes would be set up across the blocks. �We have already told our prospective investors that they will have to inform us about their skilled manpower requirements beforehand so that a pool of required skilled workers can be developed locally with their assistance. And these people would be absorbed in their ventures,� he said.
