Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said all traditional skills should be formally recognised and proper training needs to be imparted, which can translate into further economic growth of Odisha.Addressing a conclave in Odisha, the skill development and entrepreneurship minister said the state has abundant natural resources and a large coastline. According to him, Odisha has emerged as the most preferred destination for overseas investors, owing to its natural wealth, which includes production of one-fifth of India’s coal, a quarter of its iron ore, a third of its bauxite reserves and most of the chromite.“Skill development is a national dialogue and there have been isolated efforts to promote skill development in the State thus far; but it is our endeavour now to join the dots and have a concrete, comprehensive and collective effort with respect to skill development,” Pradhan said, according to an official statement. There are 631 ITIs presently in Odisha with a seating capacity of 1,67,753 and utilisation of 54.96 per cent, the statement said.“Over one million people from Odisha have migrated to other parts of the country in search of jobs. Nearly, half of Odisha’s population is in age groups below 25 years. Only six per cent labour force has diplomas, certificates or graduate-and-above degrees.“Odisha’s incremental skill gap for 2011-2026 is expected to be around four million. Odisha’s estimated labour demand for 2018-19 is highest in sectors like chemicals, transport, logistics, retail trading, power and healthcare,” it added. The discussions at the conclave also established that the social aspect should be accounted for while planning skill development programmes. The tribal community accounts for nearly 30 per cent of Odisha’s population.