Assam govt ties up with Art of Living for skill development

The Assam government has joined hands with Sri Sri Rural Development Programme Trust (SSRDPT), a unit of The Art of Living organisation, to upgrade various skill development initiatives, a government official said.

An agreement was signed between the two sides on Thursday evening in presence of state Skill, Employment and Entrepreneurship Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah.

The Trust will act as a consultant catalyst to support the Directorate of Employment and Craftsman Training (DECT) of Assam to upgrade its skilling programmes, an official said.

According to the memorandum of understanding, SSRDPT will be responsible for equipment procurement as required for setting up and upgrading training labs, posters and tool kits for laboratory and workshop set-up.

The Trust will also act as a mentor for entrepreneurship training programmes.

The MoU segregated the roles and responsibilities of the Trust and the government. The Trust will conduct training programmes for trainers appointed by ITI and provide employment support for trained candidates to get jobs.

The government on its part will create awareness about the programme amongst state ITIs. The government will also provide one officer as a single point of contact for all coordination and assistance needed by SSRDPT.

''There will be no financial burden on the state government as the project is being undertaken under CSR Initiative,'' the official said.