Bhubaneshwar : Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will formally launch the Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA) on June 17. Announcing the formation of OSDA in the Budget session of the Assembly on April 29, the Chief Minister had named IT entrepreneur and co-founder of Mindtree Subroto Bagchi to head the independent body. Bagchi, who is accorded the rank of a Cabinet Minister in the State, has been given the responsibility to prepare a blueprint which will guide, implement, coordinate and oversee all skill development programmes in Odisha. The office of the OSDA will function from Rajiv Bhavan. Bagchi, who stepped down from the post of chairman of global IT major Mindtree in January, 2016, will give full time to the skill development mission.
Meanwhile, Bagchi has covered all the districts to know about infrastructure availability and skill requirement of unemployed rural youth. Bringing convergence among skill development programmes across departments and creating a momentum for young boys and girls of the State to receive skill training in a professional manner will be Bagchi’s primary responsibility.
Sources said Bagchi will make a presentation of his vision on skilling Odisha to the Chief Minister and spell out the support required from the Government to implement the same at the ground level. He will report directly to Chief Minister. The State employment mission, which is functioning under the Directorate of Employment, is likely to subsume under the proposed skill development authority, the sources added.
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