Bhubaneswar: The MoU with the Singapore-based ITEES (ITE Education Services) for skill development of Odia youths was inked during the Naveen Patnaik government. The BJP government is taking credit for the success of the previous government, said senior BJD leader and former minister Pritiranjan Gharai.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi visited the ITEES in Singapore, where many Odia youths are undergoing training. The agreement with the ITEES was signed during the tenure of the Naveen Patnaik government, said Gharai in a press conference held at Sankha Bhawan.
In November 2017, at the initiative of Naveen Patnaik, the Odisha government signed an MoU with this organization and according to which, the training for skill development of youths has started. In 2023, the second MoU was signed, according to which training will be provided in nine innovation programs. Another MoU was signed and according to it, the youths of Odisha are getting training in Singapore. The World Skill Center was established at the initiative of Naveen Patnaik to globalize skill development ecosystem.
As per the information provided by the state government, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and State Industries & Skill Development Minister Sampad Swain visited ITEES in Singapore. The work of state government was appreciated there. If anyone who is really deserving this appreciation, it is former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said Gharai.
He said, “We would like to remind the Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and the Skill Development Minister that after the MoU was signed in 2017, training is being provided by ITEES in the state. The effort was made to develop skills of youths in the state through training as per the needs of the global market”.
It is worth noting that no other state in India, even in the double engine states, has done such a program. Similarly, for the first time in India, a skill conference was organized in the state. If the ground-breaking step taken by Naveen Patnaik is taken forward by the present government, the goals set in the field of skill development can be achieved, added the senior BJD leader.