Above poverty line: Bihar to uplift 1 cr people with skills

Patna, June 4: Bihar government has set a target to enhance the skills of one crore people in various works in the next five years so as to lift them above the poverty line, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said today.

"After development of skill of one crore people their income will increase two to four times and this will help pull masses above poverty line," Kumar said while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the newly constructed building of women ITI at Digha Ghat here. A trained labourer would earn not less than Rs 500 a day and even if he works for 24 days a month he would earn Rs 12,000 in a month and would come above the poverty line, he said.

"Lifting people above poverty line is the prime target of the Bihar government," he added.

One effective way for skill development was through industrial training institutions with the state government setting up a human resource development mission under his chairmanship, Kumar said. 12 women ITIs have been opened in nine subdivisions of Bihar.

There are 59 government industrial training centres and 459 non-governmental institutions in the state, the CM also said.

In a bid to empower women, the state government has planned to form 10 lakh women self help groups. Out of this 1 lakh SHGs have already come into being.

"When 10 lakh SHGs start functioning, 1.25 crore women would be full of economic confidence, then how the state would remain backward," he said.

Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi said that skill development would bring down the migration rate from Bihar for livelihood.

PTI