Baripada: President Droupadi Murmu virtually walked through memory lane Tuesday when she reached Pahadpur village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district to inaugurate a skill training centre.
Murmu, who was married to Shyam Charan Murmu, a banker, in 1980, had her in-law’s house at Pahadpur village. She later donated a major portion of the property to SLS (Shyam-Laxman-Sipun) Trust named after her late husband and two sons.
As soon as she reached Pahadpur, Murmu went to the SLS memorial and offered floral tributes to her husband and two sons. While her husband passed away in 2014, her two sons Laxman and Sipun died over the next few years.
After reaching Pahadpur, she mingled with the villagers, some of them related to her and her late husband. During her interaction with children, the President suggested them to concentrate on studies and keep trying to become self-sufficient.
While talking to villagers, mostly tribals, the President noted that inclusive development of the country is incomplete without the development of tribes.
During the second day of her visit to Odisha, the President inaugurated a skill training centre at Pahadpur, virtually inaugurated the new Rairangpur postal division, released a commemorative special cover of Rairangpur postal division and flagged off three trains from Badampahar.
Stating that the government is giving priority to the welfare of tribal communities, she urged tribal youth to take advantage of the government’s schemes.
The skill training hub is set up by L&T in collaboration with SLS Trust. Meena Subrahmanyan, president of Prayas Trust, an L&T-funded non-profit organisation, was present at the occasion.
The state-of-the-art facility, which was completed in five months, aims at providing underprivileged youth in the region with training in construction skills, thus enabling them to become self-reliant.
“This training centre will enable candidates to fully focus on learning and developing their skills in an enabling environment with a strong focus on life skills and personality development. Empowering the underprivileged youth through accessible skill training is not just an investment for their future,” said Subramanyan.
The hub is equipped with contemporary infrastructure, featuring an administrative-cum-institute building, a multipurpose hall, an e-learning hall, a digital training room, separate hostels for both boys and girls (each accommodating 120 individuals), dining facilities, practice yards for various trades, and a dedicated workshop for learning pipe welding.
Additionally, the centre is equipped with state-of-the-art simulators with AR/VR technology to enhance the learning experience.
PTI