AM/NS India Inaugurates Digital Skill Centre in Barbil to Empower Local Youth
Bhubaneswar : ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), in collaboration with the NASSCOM Foundation, has inaugurated a state-of-the-art Digital Skill Centre in Barbil as part of its CSR initiative, Project Daksh. The centre is aimed at equipping local youth with essential digital literacy and vocational training to enhance their employability in today’s tech-driven job market.
The newly launched centre will focus on Business Process Management (BPM) roles such as Data Entry Operator and Domestic IT Helpdesk Attendant. Over a training duration of 200–225 hours, participants will receive domain-specific education, soft skills development, exposure to workplace scenarios, and mentorship from industry experts.
Importantly, the initiative promotes gender inclusivity, with 60% of the enrolled trainees being women. Each year, the centre will benefit around 200 youth from the Barbil region, many of whom come from economically weaker sections.
The centre was inaugurated by Shri Debendranath Pingua, Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of Barbil, who lauded the effort. “This is a commendable step towards empowering our youth with relevant digital skills. It will provide new livelihood avenues and help shape a brighter future for Barbil’s young population,” he said.
Other dignitaries present at the inauguration included Dr. Vikas Yadvendu, Head – CSR, AM/NS India; Shri Indrakant Saha, Mines Manager, Thakurani Iron Ore Mine; Shri Uday Verma, Head – Security, AM/NS India; Shri Pramod Acharya, Welfare Officer, Thakurani Mine; and Shri Tilak Dwivedi, Project Manager, NASSCOM Foundation.
Dr. Vikas Yadvendu stated, “Through Project Daksh, AM/NS India is committed to creating sustainable and inclusive development. This centre in Barbil showcases our effort to bridge the digital divide and uplift local communities.”
In addition to the Barbil centre, AM/NS India has already commenced three digital skill centres to train another 600 youths from Keonjhar, Paradeep and Kendrapara in Odisha. Across Odisha and other states like Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Gujarat, the project aims to train 1,600 youth annually through eight centres. So far, more than 2,400 youths from Economically Weaker Sections have already been trained under the initiative.
The Digital Skill Centre in Barbil stands as a key step in AM/NS India’s broader mission to create self-reliant, skilled youth across India’s industrially developing regions.
