BhubaneswarAug 18 [UDN}:: Odisha Governor Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati has urged universities to adopt at least one village in their respective areas and work towards identifying the skills and potential of local people, while creating need-based training programmes and industrial opportunities for them.
The Governor made the remarks on Thursday while attending a one-day experience-sharing programme organised for Vice-Chancellors of government and private universities at Centurion University in Jatni, Khordha district.
Interacting with the Vice-Chancellors, the Governor said universities should utilise their students, faculty members and resources to identify the skills and potential available in villages and design skill-development programmes accordingly. He emphasised that such initiatives should not remain limited to training alone, but should help people convert their skills into livelihoods and income-generating enterprises.
The Governor also advised universities to create awareness about various government schemes and help people access their benefits. Referring to schemes such as the PM Mudra Yojana and Mukhyamantri Kamadhenu Yojana, he said universities could play an important role in taking information about such schemes to rural communities and assisting eligible beneficiaries in accessing the available benefits.
Describing the PM-Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana as an advanced initiative, the Governor encouraged Vice-Chancellors to create awareness about the scheme in their respective areas and take steps to ensure that more people benefit from it.
Recalling his tenure as a Member of Parliament and his association with the Parliamentary Committee related to skill development, the Governor said he had visited Centurion University during that period as well. Even then, he had observed that skill development would play an important role in the future.
The Governor advised Vice-Chancellors not to merely replicate the Centurion University model, but to assess the potential, resources and skills available in their own regions and develop programmes based on local needs.
He further said universities could become important catalysts for rural transformation by connecting education and skills with local economic opportunities and helping communities build sustainable livelihoods.
During the programme, the Vice-Chancellors shared their experiences from the exposure visit and made presentations on their observations and learnings. A book titled “Adoption of Clean Energy Technologies in Rural Odisha” was also released on the occasion.
Minister for Higher Education, Sports and Youth Services, and Odia Language, Literature and Culture, Suryabanshi Suraj; Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Handlooms, Textiles and Handicrafts Department Guhapoonam Tapas Kumar; Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Skill Development and Technical Education Department Bhupendra Singh Punia; and Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education Department Aravind Agrawal also addressed the gathering.
Centurion University President Professor Mukti Kanta Mishra delivered the welcome address, while Vice-Chancellor Professor Supriya Pattnaik proposed the vote of thanks.
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