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.
