Suresh Prabhu dedicates 1,000-cr commerce ministry projects to nation

The commerce minister inaugurated skilling Common Facility Centre (CFC) in Udupi, Karnataka and laid the foundation stone on CFC in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He inaugurated two spices parks in Kota, Rajasthan and Raebareli in Uttar Pradesh. He also inaugurated the National Institute of Design (NID) campus in Jorhat, Assam and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. 

IIFT campus was inaugurated at Kolkata, West Bengal and Maidangarhi near Delhi and Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) in Banur, Chandigarh.

The minister said the CFC in Udupi for traditional jewellery manufacture in South India will be able to produce world class talent in gem and jewellery business for around 1,200 jewellery units in an around Udupi. The CFC in Udupi has been established by the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India (GJEPC).

The Coimbatore CFC has the capacity to train 50, 000 people in the unique jewellery manufacture like Kundan, Meenakari, Bidri, temple jewellery, filigree and Jadau jewellery. The gem and jewellery business in India is a $42 billion industry employing over 5 million people and it contributes 7 per cent of India’s total GDP. India is the largest diamond cutting and polishing centre in the world and 14 out of 15 diamonds set in jewellery worldwide are processed in India. India is the 5th largest jewellery exporter in the world.

The minister said the establishment of spices parks is a major initiative of the commerce ministry to help farmers to get better returns for their produce and to ensure the quality of spices for exports. The elimination of intermediaries in the supply chain due to direct linkages facilitated by the parks will ensure better prices for the farmers, the minister informed.

India is the largest producer and exporter of spices in the world. India produces more than 65 spices out of the 109 spices listed by ISO. Currently, India is holding significant share of 48 per cent in quantity and 43 per cent in value of the global spice trade. At present there is need for improved linkages between spice producers, processes and food processing industry and the spices parks will function as a nodal point for development of the spices industry. The parks will provide common infrastructure facilities for both post-harvest and processing operation of spices. The parks will facilitate both forward and backward integration. Both the spices parks have facilities for cleaning, grading and packing at par with international standards.  

Prabhu said that for India to transform itself to a confident and prosperous nation the ministry of commerce and industry is working tirelessly to improve skilling in various sectors so that India becomes a part of global value and supply chains. 

“Design today is an integral part of any product and for the multitude of superior handmade products fashioned by India’s artisan’s designs of international standards will be a game changer for them,” he said, adding that the NID campus in Jorhat, Assam, will now open up the world to the highly skilled artisans especially women who produce high quality handmade products in the North East region of the country.

While inaugurating the IIFT campus in Kolkata and Bhopal the minister said for India to remain in a leading position there is an urgent need to reshape our education landscape and to prepare a new generation that will be capable of rising to the challenges of a rapidly changing world and also remain competitive globally.

The IIFT campus in Kolkata offers full time MBA course with specific focus on international business actives leading to policy inputs, research activities, teaching and training for the development of eastern and north-eastern region. The campus has recently set up a centre for North Eastern studies.

The Banur, FDDI. campus at Chandigarh has been established with the total expenditure of Rs100 crore, funded by Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) of the commerce ministry. This is one of the 12 campuses of FDDI in the country. The campus has state-of-the-art centres for imparting quality education in footwear technology and management, fashion design, leather goods and accessories design and manufacturing and retail management. The campus is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, world class laboratories and Wi-Fi.