The Centre and Assam government have undertaken an ambitious plan to encourage small and medium entrepreneurs to venture into the plastic industry which will get a boost with the commissioning of the Assam Gas Cracker Project in 2012.

The gas cracker project coming up at Lepetkata in Dibrugarh district would open up opportunities for investment in the plastic industry as a downstream project, state industry minister Pradyut Bordoloi said.

The minister told a seminar recently that Assam government has taken several steps to create awareness about opportunities in the plastic industry among youths.

Altogether 1,500 youths have been already trained outside the state on trades required for the project, with another 3,000 to be sent soon for training at the National Academy of Construction at Hyderabad.

A manpower development programme has also been compiled by the state government which proposes to offer new courses in the state engineering colleges.

Besides a well chalked out manpower and skill development programme, the government has also taken up an ambitious project to establish a plastic park in an area of 1,500 bighas in Tinsukia district of Upper Assam.

Bordoloi pointed out that the recently concluded North East International Plasto Fair was organised to showcase new product ideas and processing techniques to take the plastic industry a few steps forward.