Sitharaman lays foundation stone for gem, jewellery training institute

Top Stories

»	49% Indian startups now from tier 2, 3 cities: Jitendra Singh
»	'India ranks 3rd in global startup ecosystem & number of unicorns'
»	Tripura exported over 9K tonnes of pineapples in 2 years
»	CPI inflation eases to 6.71% in July, IIP falls to 12.3%
»	Rupee depreciates 12 paise to close at 79.64 against US dollar

SME Times News Bureau | 17 Jun, 2017
Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman laid the Foundation Stone for a premier Gem & Jewellery Training Institute, first of its kind in Southern India, on Friday in Udupi, Karnataka, informed ministry in a press release on Friday.

Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) is being set up in association with National Institute of Design(NID), Ahmedabad. This training centre shall be amongst the series of Training Institutes & Facility Centres set up by GJEPC (Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council) across India. With IIGJ Udupi , GJEPC forays into Education & Training field in the Southern India for the first time.

Addressing the function Sitharaman said that Across the Globe, the best of jewellery pieces are majority hand made. Global retail giants like Cartier, Boucheron or Van Cliff command premium prices for their hand made jewellery.

She said India, whose forte lies in crafting most intricate handmade jewellery should capitalise on this opportunity by building necessary infrastructure. The Minister said by setting up institutes like IIGJ and other facility centres GJEPC once again has come forward to further equip Indian Gem & Jewellery sector and make it globally competitive.

She said she was confident that IIGJ in Udupi will aid in providing exciting career opportunities to youth of surrounding regions in this sector.

Manoj Dwivedi, Joint secretary said With over 100 retail stores and engaging work force of over 5000 people, Udupi boasts of a rich jewellery lineage. By setting up IIGJ in Udupi, GJEPC envisions to productively use the talent available here by providing required training and guidance.

He said GJEPC has joined hands with NID, Ahmedabad to ensure that best of jewellery and manufacturing courses are offered to the enrolled students.

He applauded GJEPC for taking this visionary step which would not only skill the youth but also create more job opportunities in Southern India.

The Institute will provide training to the youth in the region in various aspects of hand-crafted jewellery making, which could eventually lead to employment opportunities in the G & J sector.

It will also aim at enhancing the skills of the existing work force already engaged with the industry. Creation and upgradation of such trained work force will in turn help in fostering development of the local jewellery industry.