University of Mysore Vice-Chancellor G. Hemantha Kumar has said the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) launched the Skill Vigyan programme to meet the demand for skilled workers in Karnataka, which is expected to reach 8.47 million in the next 10 years. Life sciences and biotechnology, agriculture and allied fields, including sericulture, horticulture, and fisheries, are among the key areas that need skilled workers, he added.
Inaugurating the DBT-Karnataka Skill Vigyan programme and a workshop on ‘Entrepreneurship development in sericulture technology’ organised at the Department of Studies in Sericulture, University of Mysore, today, he said skill development training programmes would bring significant change both in social and economic spheres of rural and semi-urban areas, avoiding migration from rural to urban areas. Those who have migrated from urban areas to villages owing to the Covid-19 pandemic in the last two years would also get gainful occupation both in cocoon and skill production.
Prof. Kumar said Karnataka employs nearly 54% of India’s biotech workforce while the export revenue is about ₹33,351 crore and the domestic revenue is valued around ₹11,072 crore. The industry is providing direct and indirect employment to an estimated 19,000-plus persons, with men constituting 69% of the workforce, as Karnataka is the biotech capital of India and home to one of the earliest and most thriving biotech ecosystems in India.
Karnataka’s biotech industries comprise about 380 small, medium and large-size companies, and over 270 start-ups, together adding up to 60% of the biotech companies in India. Being the hub of biotechnology in India, Karnataka contributes a market size of $ 6.5 billion, which is about 35% of the total revenue generated by the Indian BT industry.
Prof. Kumar suggested adoption of new technologies and inculcating skills for making sericulture a successful occupation. India is currently the world’s second largest producer of raw silk and the largest consumer of raw silk and silk fabrics.
“However, I understand that the sericulture technologies have been changing at rapid pace and extension work has been established at national, state and village level to educate sericulturists. Still, there is a wide gap between available technologies and their adoption by the farmers based on the recent reports,” he said.
Therefore, appropriate knowledge-based skill development is the need of the hour not only for upskilling the sericulturists but also providing assured occupation to the unemployed youth who are aspiring to establish themselves, Prof. Kumar added.
H. Honne Gowda, Dean (Research), JSS Science and Technology University, and Keeranagere Jagadeesh, founder, Keeranagere Chawki Rearing Center, Kanakapura, were the chief guests. Department Chairman H.B. Manjunath was present.
