Mr. Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Minister of Ministry of Tourism, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Maharashtra, visited the Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) and was felicitated by Mr. Kirit Bhansali, Vice Chairman, GJEPC and Mr. Anoop Mehta, President, BDB among other industry stalwarts today.
In his address, Mr. Lodha assured full support from the State Government to the gem and jewellery industry. He noted that the gem and jewellery industry was known for its charitable acts and informed that there are 85 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) alone in Mumbai and they need to be renovated. “It would be immensely helpful if the gem and jewellery industry adopts one or two institutes for imparting skills related to gem and jewellery related courses. The state also has 9200 anganwadis for kids who live in slums. Unfortunately, most of these centres are run in makeshift rooms and are rundown. It costs about ₹25,000 per month for the upkeep, and similarly, we need to impart skill training to orphans and juveniles living in about 40 homes for beggars.
In response to the Minister’s plea, Mr. Praveenshankar Pandya, Former Chairman of the GJEPC and Gem & Jewellery National Relief Foundation (GJNRF) pledged that the GJNRF will adopt an anganwadi and the Gem & Jewellery Skill Council of India (GJSCI) together with the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery (IIGJ) will take over to revamp one of the ITIs.