Skill upgradation a challenge for Logistics Sector: Minister

Chennai, Jul 20 (UNI) Skill upgradation was the real challenge in the Logistics Sector to remove bottlenecks and bring down the cost of its infrastructure for Indian industries from the current 13 per cent of GDP to less than ten per cent, as per the Western economies, Union Minister of State for Industry, Ashwani Kumar said.

Delivering the inaugural address at the inauguration of CII Logistics 2007 last night with the theme 'Powering Growth through Logistics Innovation and Integration', a three-day Logistics Summit and Exhibition, Mr Kumar said there was a paradox in the co-existence of huge unemployment problem and acute skills deficit.

The Minister said "the Government was taking up skills development initiative in a major way. In the next three years, it will create 1500 centres of excellence across the country for various areas, including Logistics Industry skills and upgrade Industrial Training Institutes and other advanced learning centres".

Mr Kumar said the Government had recently announced several ambitious initiatives to give fillip to the Industry in the country. For instance, in the recently announced project, it was decided that the Delhi-Mumbai corridor of 1483 kilometers rail track would pass through the hinterlands of around seven States, he added.

"The Government will build Industrial estates along the corridor, which will help the Industries reduce lead-time and Inventory cost to the very minimal", he said adding "Petroleum Ministry is planning to come up with an ambitious infrastructure development project for Petroleum and Petro-chemical Industry Region, covering five states".

Earlier, the Union Minister gave away Supply Chain Management Excellence Awards, initiated by CII Institute of Logistics in association with India Value Fund, to the top performing logistics service providers and user Industries.

The Minister also released the CII-KPMG Study on Skill Gaps in the Indian Logistics Sector.

UNI