THRISSUR:
The central zone competitions of India Skills Kerala 2020 commenced at Chalakudy in this district today, initiating 1,344 contestants into vigorous activities across 42 skills to qualify for the state-level finale next month.
The five-day round at Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI) was inaugurated by B D Devassy, MLA, who noted that this state government endeavour will help winners draw international attention. “Such competitions enable the participants to prove their proficiency in various skills and pave their way to a meaningful future,” he said. “What’s more, they check students from falling prey to drugs, violence and other anti-social activities.”
The multi-tier India Skills Kerala competitions, which prescribe no age bar, are being organized by the Industrial Training Department and Kerala Academy for Skills Excellence, both under the State Labour and Skills Department. The central zone competitions are being held in five ITIs: Kalamassery (Ernakulam district), Ettumanoor, Pallikkathod (Kottayam), Mala and Chalakudy (Thrissur).
While the preliminary district-level competitions of the event had concluded on January 20, the zonal-level event will continue till January 31, Friday. The age bracket of the contestants is wide, as they include little boys and girls as well as adults.
The hall tickets of participants of zonal competitions are available on their respective India Skills Kerala profile. Those who are yet to secure it can visit: www.indiaskillskerala.com, download the documents and appear at the respective centre on Tuesday, organisers said.
The ITI at Chalakudy is holding zonal competitions in floristry, electrical installations, electronics, plastering and drywall systems, welding, refrigeration and air-conditioning, besides car-painting for all the three zones of the state.
The previous edition of annual event held competitions in 20 skills, while this time it has been more than double to 42. These include 20 academic skills and 22 specialised skills. The grand State-level finale is scheduled from February 22 to 24 at Kozhikode. The winners at those competitions in Swapna Nagari of the Malabar city will get Rs 1,00,000 each as prize money, and runners up Rs 50,000. All finalists will get Rs 10,000 each.
The state-level winners will qualify for the national competitions. The prize-winning performers in that round will represent the country at World Skills 2021 in Shanghai, China.
