“It was during the COVID-19 pandemic in the year 2020, while traveling to Siju with Fr. Sunny, the then Director of BAKDIL, the idea of giving masonry training came up,” Mr. Silchi Marak an Architect engineer recalled while speaking to the BAKDIL Bulletin.
Many youths who had gone outside the state searching for jobs were made to return home because of the nationwide lockdown. The spike in the unemployment rate rose immensely.
The construction workers coming from the outside state could not enter the state, and the demand for trained masons swelled up.
Taking the idea of masonry training the former Director of BAKDIL Fr. Sunny submitted the proposal to Meghalaya Basin Management Agency to support the training of 200 youths as professional masons.
Fr. Sunny always says, “the revenue generated in the state should revolve within the state.”
With this quote, BAKDIL initiated three months of training in masonry and plumbing with maximum participants of 30 candidates per batch.
“Since 2020, we have completed two years implementing this masonry training and we have successfully trained 132 young boys as skilled masons,’ said Mr. Andrew, non-farm training coordinator of BAKDIL.
Many youths participated in the training from over the four corners of Garo Hills. The course offers 30 days of theory and 60 days of actual site practical.
Mr. Trinath and Mr. Labitson, among the 132 pass-outs are also general education graduates.
Using the knowledge gained from the training, the pass-outs are working as full-time construction workers at various locations in Garo Hills.
The new Director of BAKDIL Fr. Cyril Sangma also appreciated the responsible people for initiating this program. He also pledged to continue this program and give the unemployed youth an opportunity to become successful mason provided that MBMA extends the Program support.
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