Need to reskill people hit by mining closure in Goa: minister

Goa minister Vishwajit Rane on Friday said the government needs to step in to "reskill" the people rendered jobless due to the shutdown of the mining industry in the state, to make them employable again. Rane was addressing a seminar here on Reforms in Apprenticeship Act, 1961 and National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme here.

He said the closure of mining has led to large-scale unemployment in the state, due to which those dependent on the industry are now desperately seeking jobs. "What are you going to do? Are you going to sit in silence? They are desperate people as they don't have any opening, because in their entire life they worked in the mining sector," the state Skill Development Minister said.

"So what the government has to do is that it should step in. Reskill these people and make them employable. These are the opportunities that we need to look at. We need to train them so that their quality of life is maintained," he added. The five-decade-old mining industry in the coastal state came to a standstill in March 2018, after the Supreme Court quashed the second renewal of 88 iron ore mining leases.

The Union government has formed a Group of Ministers headed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to look into the issue and come up with a solution. Rane also that Goa is eyening to become an international skilling destination with the help of industries in the coastal state.

"Efforts are being made to ensure that by the time the tenure of the current government ends in the next two-and-a- half years, Goa will start a process to ensure that the state has the best skilled people," he said. According to the minister, the state government has a role to play in creating skilling centre of international standard.

"If we are able to create a skilling hub in Goa, then we will be able to do a lot for the people of the state and the neighbouring areas," he said..

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