Gujarat aims skill development in stone industry

In a run-up to the biennial investment summit, Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors' Summit (VGGIS) 2011, the Government of Gujarat is seen opening up avenues for the stone industry, which had so far remained unnoticed.

The state will house two training centers each at Dhrangadhra in Surendranagar district and close to Ambaji in the northern part of the state, where rich source of marble and other stones are available.

Speaking about the stone industry and its potential in Gujarat, the minister of state for industries and mines, Government of Gujarat, Saurabh Patel informed that it was the correct time for Gujarat to capitalise on the opportunity in the stone sector with respect to investments as well as employment.

"Gujarat has a potential to emerge as a front runner in stone industry as the state has availability of stone resources like marble, granite and sandstone. This can generate employment for rural population and boost domestic as well as export business," said Patel at an International Conference on 'Opportunities for Stone Industry in Gujarat' held in Ahmedabad on Friday. The conference was organised jointly by Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (GMDC), Government of Gujarat and Department of Geology and Mining, Govt of Gujarat in association with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce Industries (FICCI) and Centre for Development of Stones (CDOS), Jaipur.

The two centers, which will be monitored by the state government, have so far registered 1200 students for the training course. Patel further informed that the state government will offer this training course for free with no tuition fee. "We aim to promote this training for generating employment at rural centers. The training will provide assured employment to the students. The government is ready to provide all support for the skill development in this sector," Patel told reporters on the sidelines of the conference.

India ranks among the top stone producing nations in the world, while Rajasthan is among the prominent stone mining regions in the country. Gujarat has stone reserves in northern as well as central parts of the state.

The conference, which had around 180 delegates participating from across the country, discussed the need to take the stone industry to the next level and brainstorm pertinent issues with decision makers over interaction with the fraternity and leaders in this sector.