Ranchi, Aug 19: A team of Jharkhand government officials led by Planning and Development Minister Radhakrishna Kishore visited IIT Jodhpur to explore ways to develop the state’s tribal and rural youth as skilled talent for India’s rapidly expanding semiconductor and electronics sector.A strategic meeting was held at IIT Jodhpur under the chairmanship of Kishore.
IIT Jodhpur Director Prof Avinash Kumar Agarwal, heads of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics departments and other officials attended the meeting.The proposed initiative seeks to identify and develop talented tribal and rural youth, including students pursuing engineering diploma and polytechnic courses, and connect them with opportunities in the semiconductor and electronics ecosystem.
Kishore said the proposed programme would be named TWISH — Tribal Women in Semiconductor and Hardware. If approved by the state government, the initiative will be implemented by the Jharkhand government in collaboration with IIT Jodhpur and Akhil Bharatiya Local Self Government under the Silicon Minds Forum.The initiative, described as “Adivasi Talent se Semiconductor Talent Tak”, aims to go beyond conventional skill training and create a complete semiconductor talent pipeline in Jharkhand.
It will cover grassroots-level learning, advanced training, laboratory exposure, industry internships, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.The proposed TWISH programme will particularly focus on identifying talented tribal women and providing them opportunities ranging from basic education and advanced technical training to practical laboratory exposure, internships and entrepreneurship.
During the visit, Kishore, Principal Secretary Jadhav Vijaynayaran Rao, Special Director Krishnanand Prasad, Prof Agarwal, Prof Bhawani Kumar Satyapathi, Deputy Director, Prof Sunil Kumar Khezwaniya, Dean, Research and Development, and other officials visited IIT Jodhpur laboratories dealing with semiconductor devices, nano-microelectronics, lithography, wafer processing and related technologies.Kishore said the Jharkhand government intends to provide special training to tribal young men and women, strengthen their technical knowledge, encourage innovation and create a “Silicon Minds” talent pool in the state.
The initiative is aimed at bringing grassroots talent from Jharkhand into the country’s growing semiconductor ecosystem and creating new avenues for employment, innovation and entrepreneurship among tribal youth.
