India’s largest iron ore producer, NMDC Limited, hosted the first batch of 80 youth from the Bastar division, who have successfully completed job-oriented skill training and secured 100% placement, marking a significant milestone in making the youth of Chhattisgarh Atmanirbhar and reinforcing NMDC’s commitment to skill development, inclusive growth, and nation building.

The programme was conducted under NMDC’s Skill Development initiative, implemented as part of its CSR efforts, in association with the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET). The initiative aims to empower unemployed and less privileged tribal youth of Bastar by equipping them with industry-relevant skills and enabling sustainable livelihoods.

The felicitation and interaction session was held in the presence of NMDC’s senior leadership, including Amitava Mukherjee, Chairman & Managing Director, Vinay Kumar, Director (Technical) and Director (Commercial, Additional Charge), Joydeep Dasgupta, Director (Production) and Director (Personnel, Additional Charge), P Shyam, GM (CSR) and B Ravi, Principal Director, CIPET, along with senior officials and employees of NMDC and CIPET

Coming from different districts and modest families across Chhattisgarh (including Dantewada, Bastar, Sukma, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, and Bijapur) the students spoke of lives where opportunities were limited and choices few. The skill training programme, they said, offered not just employment, but the confidence to leave their hometowns and begin earning on their own terms.

Sukhram, a Class 12 pass youth from Bastar, spoke of a childhood shaped by early loss and limited means. Securing a job, he said, will change the course of his family’s life. “I never knew how I would leave my hometown. Today, I am going to work and earn,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Amitava Mukherjee, Chairman, NMDC, said that watching young people from Bastar step into formal employment was a reminder of what opportunity can do. He noted that many of the 80 trainees had travelled a long way both literally and in confidence to reach this moment. “This is not just about jobs,” he said. “It is about young people realising they belong in the workforce and in the country’s growth story.” Such moments, he added, reaffirm why skilling youth remains central to building an Atmanirbhar Bastar and a more inclusive Viksit Bharat.

Addressing the students, Vinay Kumar, Director (Technical) and Director (Commercial, Additional Charge) noted the visible transformation of Chhattisgarh over the years and said that NMDC has been an integral part of this journey since its inception, extending his best wishes to the students as they begin their professional careers.

Joydeep Dasgupta, Director (Production) and Director (Personnel, Additional Charge) described the placements as an important milestone, calling them a stepping stone in the students’ lives and encouraging them to continue learning and moving forward with confidence urging to become future entreprenuers.

Under the programme, eligibility was kept inclusive, with a minimum qualification of Class 8, ensuring that school dropouts and youth from economically weaker sections were not excluded from the skilling ecosystem. The first batch comprised 80 sponsored students, all of whom have now been placed successfully, reflecting the effectiveness of the initiative.

About the NMDC–CIPET Skill Development Programme

Under its CSR programme, NMDC has partnered with the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET) to provide free skill development training to 500 youth from Dantewada and Bastar districts. Fully funded by NMDC, the initiative equips participants with industry-relevant skills across qualification levels, ranging from operator-level (short term) courses for diploma and postgraduate diploma programmes in plastics technology, with the objective of enhancing employability and strengthening the local workforce.