EAM lays foundation stone of skill centre near Sardar Patel

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday laid the foundation stone of a skill development centre to train tribals of Kevadiya village in Gujarat's Narmada district.

Kevadiya is the site of the 182-metre tall Sardar Patel memorial, the tallest such structure in the world.

The centre, named Sardar Valabhbhai Patel Centre for Empowerment and Livelihoods, is a joint initiative of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL) and GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (GMRVF) and will come up at a cost of Rs 15 crore.

It will have state-of-the-art infrastructure and accommodation facilities for 100 youth, an SSNNL release said.

The centre will train youth to meet tourism and hospitality requirements at Kevadiya due to the Sardar Patel statue attracting some 17,000 visitors daily, officials said.

Jaishankar, Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, was on a two-day visit to the district but had to cut it short and return to Delhi on Tuesday evening itself due to important work, said Narmada district collector M R Kothari.

During his visit, Jaishankar also inaugurated a water harvesting project in Kevadiya.