Japan pledges grant for vocational training centre in Raj

Japan today pledged a grant worth 8.4 million yen to a Rajasthan-based civil society for the construction of a vocational training centre for poor women and youth in the state's Baran district.

Ambassador of Japan to India Kenji Hiramatsu and a representative of the recipient organisation, the Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society (CECOEDECON), signed an agreement for the project at the Embassy of Japan here.

It is to be executed under that country's Grant Assistance for Grassroots Projects (GGP). The total amount of the project is 8.4 million yen, the embassy said.

"The project aims to construct a vocational training centre for the underprivileged women and youth in Baran. This remote area has been suffering from harsh climatic conditions in recent the years, making it difficult for the locals to make their livelihood through agriculture," Hiramatsu said.
 

"The new vocational training centre will provide women and youth with an opportunity to learn and acquire knowledge as well as skills in vocations such as food processing and electrical work which are crucial for the empowerment and poverty alleviation of the people in this area," he said.

Since 1989, the GGP has been supporting relatively small-scaled projects implemented by non-profit organisations, such as NGOs, educational and medical institutions, through Japanese diplomatic missions in developing countries.

"I also sincerely hope this project becomes a shining symbol of the friendship between Japan and India," the envoy said.

"Let me also express my sincere hope that the vocational centre will help women and youth in the rural areas to become self-sufficient and economically independent, leading to the comprehensive growth of the community," he said.

Sharad Joshi, Secretary, CECOEDECON, on the occasion said, "The project is very important for the tribal people of the region. This centre will help facilitate credit access to the neey and also reduce poverty.