UNCTAD to set up Excellence centre: Mamata Banerjee

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has announced to set up a first of its kind Centre of Excellence in Entrepreneurship Training here in association with EMPRETEC and West Bengal government, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said today. "This Centre will be the first of its kind in the world connecting not only all states of the country but also the developing and developed nations of the world to nurture and hold entrepreneurship," she said in her Facebook post.

EMPRETEC is a United Nations programme by UNCTAD's Division of Investment and Enterprise to promote the creation of sustainable small-and-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). "It will provide training, education, skill development along with access to finance to our aspiring entrepreneurs," she said. "This initiative would help to create young entrepreneurs, thereby more jobs and give economic activity in the region a significant boost," she added. Later addressing a government programme at Purulia district, Banerjee said "We have a target to provide training to ten lakh youths at the centre of excellence. We can provide training to five lakh youths every year and get them employed.... before that they will have training for three to six months. Remember, to become a nurse it requires training as also in other professions," she said. "We are presently giving monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to one lakh youths in the state under the 'Yuvashree' scheme. In the next phase another one lakh youths enrolled in the employment bank will be covered.