SME Times News Bureau | 05 Dec, 2016
Commerce & Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said
that Gem & Jewellery sector has direct impact on job creation and provides maximum jobs to people who come from rural areas.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of
Indian Institute of Gem & Jewellery (IIGJ) Varanasi Extension
Campus in Varanasi she said this is one sector which has different sub
sectors by which gem & jewellery industry provides maximum jobs to
people who come from rural areas and also with non gem & jewellery
background through proper training.
Sitharaman added that this
holy city has longest history of human civilization. A city of this
stature has shown ages ago that it has craftsmanship. She said GJEPC has
come here to see that the talent which has been cultivated here for
years is not lost and It is our responsibility to not only identify and
support but ensure that the process is handed over to the next
generation.
The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) is taking a
big step towards realizing Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s one of the
dream project, ‘Skill India’ by setting up the first-of-its-kind Indian
Institute of Gem & Jewellery (IIGJ) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
Varanasi is the fifth centre in the country after Mumbai, New Delhi,
Jaipur and Kolkata to have an IIGJ campus.
Praveenshankar Pandya, Chairman, GJEPC, said that GJEPC, the apex
gem & jewellery body in India has always strived to support Prime
Minister, Narendra Modi’s vision for putting India on the trajectory of
growth through numerous initiatives, one such being ‘Skill India’ .
India’s Gem & Jewellery Industry over the years has grown from a
mere US$ 28 Million in 1966-67 to US$38 Billion in 2015-16. It is
noteworthy that this industry provides employment to around 3 million
people across India.