New Delhi, Aug 9 (KNN) The central government on Tuesday launched the ‘Transforming lives, building futures: Skill development and entrepreneurship in North-East’ initiative.

Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Culture and Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy and Minister of State for Skill Development and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar unveiled the skill initiative.

According to a government statement, 250,000 youth of the Northeastern region will be provided with industry relevant skill training programmes through a wide array of schemes and initiatives, under the initiative.

“The government has earmarked a substantial fund of ₹360 crore to facilitate inclusive development, nurture entrepreneurial talent, and propel socio-economic growth of the region. To fuel further growth, concerted efforts are being made to provide vocational education and skill development programs to cater to the demand for skilled professionals across sectors, including agriculture, tourism, handicrafts, and information technology,” the statement said.

The Skill Minister said the initiative will create unprecedented skilling opportunities for the youth in line with their interest areas and lead to unlocking the potential of north-eastern youth.

“The north-eastern region of our country is abundant with natural resources and demographic dividend and with a whole-of-government approach, our government has worked to drive unprecedented development of the region. Today’s programme will further give impetus to these efforts and lead to the socio-economic transformation of the region,” he said.

Referring to the title of the initiative, IT Minister said, “This is a mission for our young Indians of the Northeast. We believe that the future of new India is bright and skill is the passport to prosperity.”  (KNN Bureau)