Ghanshyam Sarda, has announced setting up of two jute production training centers in West Bengal to feed the demand for skilled labours to make the Hessian cloth that goes into diversified products like carrybags, fabrics and low-end blankets.

“We are running short of 5000 people in our mills,” said Ghanshyam Sarda, whose Sarda group, now divided among three brothers, operates ten mills with a production of 3500 tonne a day. Sarda is also setting up a mill in Alwar in Rajasthan to make only the new items that are popular in global markets. The Rs 100 crore mill, with a capacity of 60 tonne a day, is scheduled to begin operations in a year.

The Sardas’ ten mills together have around 60,000 workers. Ghanshyam Sarda’s mills, which produce 200 tonne a day, do not make the diversified products but supply the Hessian fabric.

Once the centres — at Agarpara and Titagarh — are successful, they would set up branches in districts like Murshidabad and Burdwan. The six-month course would be offered free, and focus on managing modern machinery.

Those who sign up would get a stipend of Rs 30 a day along with meals. The stipend would be increased with the course grade. The trained labour would be absorbed in Sarda’s jute mills at Rs 125 a day once they pass the final examination. The two centres together are starting with 40 students but the aim is to train batches of 1000.

The Sarda group has eight mills in West Bengal and one each in Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Of the group’s total turnover of Rs 2,000 crores, jute accounts for Rs 600 crores. They are also present in marine technology and real estate.