State's initiative helps about 120 SC, ST youths get jobs

Kolkata: At least 120 youths, belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories, received jobs in the automotive sector during the pandemic after getting trained under an initiative of West Bengal Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes Development and Finance Corporation.

The youths were posted to companies in Maharastra and Tamilnadu. They are natives of Shilda, which was once a Maoist-dominated area. The duration of the training programme is 4 to 6 months. The youths were trained to repair engines and paint vehicles, among other things. The training programme had ended before the lockdown was announced on March 24.

After coming to power, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave special importance to training and skill development of SC and ST youths.

The corporation in collaboration with the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology offers training to SC and ST youths at Haldia.

In a year, around 20,000 SC and ST youths, who receive training from the Corporation, get jobs. The Corporation has bagged first prize for providing skill training to the SC and ST youths from the Ministries of Social Justice and Tribal Affairs in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The Corporation offers beautician courses along with manufacturing and repairing of solar instruments, LED bulbs, installation and repairing of refrigerators, etc.

Meanwhile, Ramanita Sabar, a resident of Phuljhor village of Barabazar area in Purulia scored the highest marks in the undergraduate level at Patmada College under Kolhan University in Jharkhand.

Before the Mamata Banerjee-led government had come to power, students from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribes communities had to suffer.

In 1992, Chuni Kotal, the first graduate of Lodha Sabar community had committed suicide after allegedly failing to withstand the harassment by some officials of Vidyasagar University. Kotal, who did graduation in Anthropology, had joined the university as a postgraduate student. It is alleged that some officials of the university used to harass her regularly for being a tribal. Initially she protested but finally succumbed to the pressure and took the extreme step.