Union Bank, Punjab National Bank and State Bank of India to set up skill development institutes in Uttarakhand.
When Union Bank Chairman and Managing Director M V Nair came to Dehradun two years ago, he was concerned by the migration of talented youth from the hills of Uttarakhand.
Nair soon met then Chief Secretary S K Das and floated the idea of setting up a new training institute at Dehradun, to impart knowledge and hone the skills of the youth in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and various entrepreneurial fields, so that they could set up their own units.
Now, Nair’s dream project is expected to take final shape, as Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank has agreed to provide adequate land for the training institute.
Union Bank is not alone in setting up such a skill development institute. Punjab National Bank (PNB) too has approached the state government to set up a farmers’ skill enhancement centre on similar lines.
Other banks are also eager to launch similar new innovative projects under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
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“We are ready to invest around Rs 10 crore in our proposed project, through which we will try to check the scourge of migration from the hills. The chief minister is now showing a lot of enthusiasm in our project,” said J P Bahuguna, deputy general manager of Union Bank here.
Union Bank already has a well-trained and qualified team of agriculturists who are improving the skills of farmers in the Sahaspur area of Dehradun district. It was due to the efforts of this team that farmers in Shankarpur village of Sahaspur block are now reaping good dividends.
For example, Madhu Singh is now earning an annual income of Rs 50,000-60,000 by growing gerberas at his fields at Shankarpur village, which has been adopted by the Union Bank.
According to V K Srivastava, circle head of the PNB here, the bank is also ready to invest Rs 10-15 crore in its proposed farmers’ training institute at Dehradun. PNB is seeking six to seven acres of land from the government for this purpose.
The PNB institute will provide training to farmers in tractor repair, poultry farms, polyhouses, composting and basic computer skills. “A majority of the people in Uttarakhand are working in the agriculture sector. We are committed to providing the best knowledge to farmers through our CSR programme,” said Srivastava. The institute will have a capacity of training nearly 80-90 people at a time.
State Bank of India (SBI) has also taken up a similar project through the Central government’s sponsored scheme in at least nine districts of Uttarakhand, said S P Kalara, assistant general manager of SBI here.