Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Ananth Kumar along-with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh accompanied with Minister of State for Petroleum and Fertilisers Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, today laid foundation stone of Central Institute of Plastic Engineering & Technology (CIPET) Centre at Baddi.This Institute is being established at a cost of Rs 40.10 crore from the Centre whereas the Government of Himachal Pradesh apart from providing land had also made a provision of Rs. two crore in the annual budget 2016-17 for the same.Shri G.S. Bali, Technical Education & Transport Minister and Shri Mukesh Agnihotri, Industries and I&PR Minister, Shri Virendar Kashyap, Member of Parliament and MLA Doon Shri Ram Kumar were also present during the ceremony.At present CIPET Baddi is functioning temporarily in the premises of Baddi Technical Training Institute (BTTI). The Motive of CIPET Centre is to upgrade the skill & technical competency of personnel in plastics industry. It offers Post Graduate Diploma in Plastics Processing & Testing (PGD-PPT) from the academic year 2015-16 besides wide range of short-duration, skill-cum-technology up-gradation Programmes in the field of Plastics Processing, Injection Moulding etc.
Union Minister, Ananth Kumar while addressing at foundation stone Ceremony of CIPET Centre at Baddi in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh announced Bulk Drug Pharma Park and Satellite Extension Centre of National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) for Pharma testing lab at Baddi.He said that Baddi was a hub of Pharmaceuticals and he was happy that Baddi contributes 35 percent of Medicines production to whole of Asia. He said that such bulk drugs were coming from China, but the base material of bulk drugs should be made in India and added that now onwards Himachal would be a centre of production of base material of bulk drugs.He said that Bulk drug Park in Ahmedabad and Andhra Pradesh were also proposed and the third one at Baddi in Himachal as announced today. He said that the CIPET Centre would also be inaugurated by him next year, adding that Himachal had a good name in Pharma industry throughout the state.
Currently there are 28 CIPETs in different parts of the country, and eleven had been approved in tune with the demands of the industry, he said adding that additional manpower requirement by 2023-24 will be around 1.16 million.As of now India requires nine lakh plastic engineers and skilled labourers, he said. Chief Minister, Shri Virbhadra Singh while addressing on the occasion said that Himachal Pradesh government had released first instalment to the tune Rs. 50 lakh to the Institute of Plastic engineering on 2nd January, this year for creating infrastructure, adding that State Government had made a budgetary provision of Rs. two crore for CIPET in the financial year 2016-17 which shall also be released after receiving utilization certificates of the funds already released.Seventeen skill development projects worth Rs. 166 crore have been approved under the "National Rural Livelihood Mission" (Ajivika Scheme). Under this Project 50 thousand rural youth would be trained in various trades over a period of three years.
The Chief Minister hoped that the technical manpower passing out of CIPET through the conduct of various short term courses and formal diploma courses in the field of Plastic Engineering Technology would be able to secure job in the Plastic Industry and would also be able to set up their own enterprises. He said that plastic industry had a wide open scope in the country for providing employment.He said that Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh were becoming hub of Pharama companies and urged for Bulk Pharma Drug Park for quality production of medicines in the State and also NIPER Centre at Baddi for which the government would provide adequate land free of cost.He said that to provide skilled labour to the entrepreneurs, the foundation stone of Rs. 102.32 crore Tool Room/ Technological Development Centre (TDC) of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises was laid at Baddi to train the youth as per needs of the industries in the month of February this year.
“Skill Development is the key to sustainable development and is essential to address the opportunities and challenges to meet new demands of changing economy” said the Chief Minister.He said that the State Government had started vocational education in as many as 500 schools where 35 thousand students were learning various trades. Bachelor of Vocational Education Courses in ten colleges and short term courses will be started in various Government Colleges to provide new and additional skills, to make the youth employable. The Chief Minister said that the State Government during the past three years had provided jobs to 28000 youth in industrial sector.MoS,Chemical and Fertilisers, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said that the Prime Minister of India was also stressing upon skill development and ‘Make India’ campaign. He said that skill development and Make in India would be given impetus in times to come and also supported the demands as raised by Industries Minister. He said that skill development would suffice the purposes of both employment to the unemployed and rise in economic standards of an individual.
Industries Minister, Shri Mukesh Agnihotri while speaking on the occasion said that around 45000 industrial units were functioning in the State. He said that Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh Development Authority was constituted to streamline the development of the area and to provide basic facilities to the entrepreneurs and the working force. He said a sum of Rs 100 crore was sanctioned for the industrial belt of Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh. He demanded ‘Bulk Drug Pharma Park’ for the area as an investment of around Rs 50000 crore was being made alone in Pharma Industries thereby contributing as much as 35 percent in production of medicines in Asia. He urged for setting up satellite office of ‘National Institute of Pharmaceutical, Education and Research’ (NIPER) in Baddi for making Pharma Testing Lab, as ‘State of Art’lab.Technical Education Minister, Shri G.S. Bali while addressing the gathering said that the proposal for setting up CIPET was received in 2015 and the government transferred around 35 Bighas of land in the name of CIPET. He said that the institute would go a long way in making the youth adaptable to the needs of the industry in any part of the country. He said that the state government through its Industrial training institutes was providing vocational training to the youth in various trades. He said that various trades and courses were started in ITI’s to make the youth employable.
MP, Virendar Kashyap and Doon MLA, Shri Ram Kumar also spoke on the occasion.Shri Avinash Joshi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers welcomed the Union Minister Shri Ananth Kumar and Chief Minister on the occasion. Director General, CIPET, Dr. S.K. Nayak also welcomed and honoured the Chief Minister and other guests present on the occasion.Earlier, Union Minister, Shri Ananth Kumar and the Chief Minister Shri Virbhadra Singh unfurled and dedicated the 100 feet high Monumental National Flag adjacent to office of Superintendent of Police, Baddi. This was the fourth such flag the Chief Minister hoisted, the earlier being at Kullu, Shimla & Mandi.Deputy Commissioner, Shri Rakesh Kanwar and Managing Director Kaushal Vikas Nigam, GoI Shri Rajesh Sharma were also present amongst others.