Vaidhan, Singrauli: To enhance employability and improve vocational skills among people, Essar Foundation, with support from Essar Power MP Limited, has inaugurated its first Essar Lok Vikas Kendra (ELVK) at Garhakhan village of Vaidhan, Singrauli district, Madhya Pradesh. The inaugural ceremony saw the presence of the Sarpanch of Gram Panchayats of Khairahi, Nagwa, Bandhora and Karsua Raja villages as well as several prominent people from the four neighbouring villages of EPMPL. The event was chaired by Mr Vinay Mittal, MD, EPMPL and Mr Ramakant Tiwari, CEO, MCL and other village leaders who shared the dais. 
The ELVK will direct its efforts to spur employability in the area by placing emphasis on skill development. Its first program will be to train locally educated youth in bag making. ELVK, Singrauli will begin by training \ youth towards developing their bag-making skills. Machines, raw material, master trainers and a ready demand of around 2,000 school bags were facilitated by Essar. Upon completing training, those eligible will join the production unit, and another fresh batch will then get trained, thereby spurring a self-sustaining economic cycle. The centre would be managed by a dedicated coordinator.  |  |
Mr Mittal, in his address, said, “We are very happy to introduce our Lok Vikas Kendra in Singrauli, where we see a strong need for such skill development initiatives. According to our survey, there exists a very good market for bags in the region. Going forward, Essar will provide assistance towards exploring newer markets for such products. We will also introduce other skill development training options for women and young girls.” Representative of Bandhora Panchayat, Mr Ram Kushal Vaishya expressed his optimism at the opportunity the ELVK brings for the youth of the area.
The delegates and guests were pleased to interact with the first trainees who have made steady progress in the trade. ELVKs, managed by Essar Foundation, are currently operating successfully in other states like Gujarat and West Bengal, benefitting hundreds of women, men and youth. The Singrauli ELVK will cater to the training and counseling needs of a population of more than 15,000 in eight villages around the Mahan area.
