By Our Correspondent
SAMBALPUR/BHUBANESWAR:The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) launched a series of transformative initiatives in Sambalpur, which aim to strengthen education, skills, entrepreneurship and market-led agriculture development in Western Odisha. The initiatives were inaugurated by Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra at the Eco Retreat Resort in Hirakud. Addressing the industry leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs and the youth present at the event, Shri Pradhan highlighted the importance of industry-led skill development and innovation in achieving the goals of a developed Odisha and a developed India.
Shri Pradhan emphasized that strengthening the nexus between education and empowerment will empower the youth of Western Odisha and accelerate regional economic growth. “Our government is paying special attention to the development of Tier II and Tier III cities. Sambalpur is going to benefit immensely from several development initiatives.” He also announced proposals for the reconstruction of Rourkela-Ranchi road corridor and held discussions with the district administration to prepare 1000 acres of industrial land for future industries.
The major initiatives launched under this programme include CII Education to Employment (E2E) Career Lounge at Central Library, CII Model Career Centre, CII National Skill Centre, Sambalpur, CII CEL Odisha Entrepreneurs Development Forum and CII CEL Micro and Small Entrepreneurs Project in Odisha.
It is worth mentioning that on this occasion, an MoU has been signed between the Office of the Sambalpur District Magistrate, Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) and CII Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE) for market-led transformation of crop, fisheries and dairy livelihood systems.
CII Director General Chandrajit Banerjee stressed the need to connect MSMEs with large industries to strengthen the regional industrial ecosystem. He said, “To achieve the goal of a developed India, industry has to actively participate in the sectors of education, healthcare and skill development.” Highlighting the Odisha-Japan partnership, he mentioned that nearly 1000 students from Odisha have secured jobs in Japan and called for expanding such international opportunities in collaboration with the state education department.
Earlier, Shri Anil Kumar Singh, President, CII West Odisha Zonal Council and Chairman and Whole-time Director, JSW Steel Limited welcomed the delegates and participants. Appointment letters were distributed to 50 beneficiaries during the program. Sambalpur MLA Shri Jayanarayan Mishra and Odisha Government Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Shri Ravi Narayan Nayak were also present on the occasion.
The event concluded with a networking session led by CII Director General Shri Chandrajit Banerjee, where he interacted with small entrepreneurs associated with the CII CEL Sambalpur Entrepreneurs Development Forum.
CII Model Career Centre, Sambalpur was formally launched by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan at District Employment Exchange, Sambalpur. A total of 120 candidates received appointment letters under various recruitment opportunities across India. Similarly, 17 candidates were selected for jobs in Japan and 5 candidates were selected for jobs in Denmark.
