Ahmedabad: Opening a Skill Development Institute here, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan in his address said the government intends to offer 11 crore new LPG connections across the country which would attract 7 to 8 lakh new employment opportunities. He said skill will be a factor for employment in these jobs.

‘The entire country has about 30 crore stoves as per an estimate. When Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister, there were 14 crore LPG connections across the country. In little over three years of Modi government so far 8.5 crore new gas connections are given which makes total of 22.50 crore gas connection. The government doesn’t want to stop here. The next target is total 25 crore gas connection by December 2018. Imagine the decades of rule by Congress governments that could give only 14 crore LPG connections and the Modi government that has given 8.5 crore connections in just three years. With 11 crore new connections, fresh jobs of around 7 to 8 lakh will be created in port, plant, pipeline, cylinder filling, gas agency and transportation,’ Pradhan said.

Pradhan said, ‘Gujarat is ahead of the nation in many avenues. While at many other places the facility of water supply through pipeline is not available, Gujarat is the state where even gas is supplied through pipeline in many areas. Out of total 30 lakh piped gas connections across the nation, Gujarat’s share is half. The government wants to lift the figure to 1 crore piped gas connections in first phase. This would attract investment of Rs 30-40,000 crore. Imagine the labour component in it. Pipes can’t be laid by common laborer. Skill will be required.’

Pradhan said every year one crore youths seek jobs. It is the responsibility of everybody to see that they get skill training. It is the responsibility of government, society, industrial sector and even institutions like Jagannath temple that has given space for this skill training centre here.

Pradhan said the Skill Development Institute in Ahmedabad in cooperation with ONGC will train 90 students per year with 30 students in each of three batches with facility of lodging and boarding.

He said, the training centre should not be limited to oil sector, but also offer variety of courses in future.

Speaking about Gujarat, Pradhan said, ONGC discovered oil for the first time in Gujarat. The world learns skill and entrepreneurship from Gujarati people.

He said, ‘a few years ago I visited America where I learnt that Gujaratis had replaced Jews in diamond trade there. I am holding the departments of Oil, Gas, Entreprenurship and Skill, and without learning from Gujarat, I would not complete my own skill training.’

DeshGujarat