Salesian priests and the federal government’s Agriculture and Rural Development ministry have jointly launched a project to make poor young people self-reliant by offering them free training.

Over the two years, the project plans to train some 60,000 students across India in courses like hotel management, engineering, automobile construction, tailoring and handicrafts.

Young people in the age group of 18-30 will be selected and formed into batches of 60 students each for the courses that run for three-months in Salesian institutions across India.

The program began in West Bengal on June 20 and will expand to other Indian states over the next two years, Salesians said.

Considered as the biggest program the government initiated in collaboration with the Catholic Church, the project was under discussion for the past three years, said Salesian Father Robin Gomes in Calcutta.

“We saw the possibility of conducting training in a specific area of learning funded by the ministry using the over 100 Salesian technical institutes in India,” the priest said.

He said the Salesians are “delighted to help and serve poor students, and the country through the project. I hope that this cooperation between Church and government can continue in the future,” he said.

Source: asianews.it

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