As Punjab’s cotton crop reels under an unrelenting attack of white fly pests, Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal has said that skill development centres of the Textile Ministry are being set up in Bathinda and Mansa districts of Punjab to facilitate development in the cotton belt and create job opportunities, according to media reports. Launching the insurance scheme under the Pradhan Mantri Bima Suraksha Yojana (PMBSY) in Bathinda, Harsimrat said that the Textile Ministry had sent a formal communiqué to the state government for setting up of both these skill development centres in the cotton-dominated belt. She handed over insurance schemes to 208 girls and women under the Pradhan Mantri Bima Suraksha Yojana (PMBSY) for a period of 10 years as Rakshabandhan gift. The Union Minister said that the Textile Ministry has passed the projects of setting up of skill development centres in Bathinda and Mansa wherein around 8,000 youngsters will be imparted job-oriented training. She said the Mudra Bank aims to fuel the entrepreneurship spirit of the poor traders, who cannot afford money to expand their business. Besides, under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana youth are being trained and imparted skill development lessons. She said those who undergo the skill development training, can opt for starting their own ventures by getting easy loans from Mudra Bank. With a massive loss of cotton crop because of white fly attack, she said the Punjab government has already ordered a survey of the affected farmers so that they could be adequately compensated.
