Spiralling demand in rubber gloves and catheters has sent Rubber Skill Development Council (RSDC) to resume its countrywide upskilling sessions for industry and plantation workers from next month. Less Covid-battered states like Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and North Eastern states have also been eager to have its return-migrants, upskilled and back to their wage-earning days, at the fastest.
“Multi-skilling and upskilling sessions will get going, across the country, from July,” Vinod Simon, chairman, RSDC told FE. “Union ministry of skill development has sent the new SoPs to suit the social distancing protocol. New modules will be a mix of e-learning and field-classes,” he said. RSDC is a skill council stringed together by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and rubber industry outfits.
Rubber medical accessories are in urgent demand. In Delhi, Resident Doctors’ Association of the All India Institute for Medical Sciences had even complained about gloves shortage. “From 5 million pieces per day, Indian glove industry is sought to step up production by 50-60%,” said Jacob Philip, director, Kurien Abraham. Thus, even during the Lockdown, 14 major glovemakers in India were let to operate.
Rubber plantations are also perked up that glove demand, which usually accounts for 25% of the 65,000 tonne annual non-tyre latex demand, is up. As many as 3,400 latex collection centres in the country are fully active, but then, they are desperately short of the migrant labour, that were fuelling them.
“Industry and plantations are equally keen to have workers back, since the huge post-Covid homeward exodus has left these workplaces having to cope with 70 hands, where there were 100. Multi-skilling has become so much crucial to coax more productivity and adapt to the new normal. That’s why several states have asked up to be back on the training saddle,” said Simon.