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these persons to find suitable employment. Vocational training modules can also
be created where unskilled manpower will be able to get some inputs for job rich
segments such as gem and jewelry design, textile design and hand and block printing.
The government can also think in terms of providing loans to people whose businesses
have been destroyed by the quake.
The jobless women in Gujarat and those who have been dispossessed can also be
absorbed into such a network. These women can be provided with options of
tele-working (operating out of the places where they currently live) to make it easier
for them to manage their families and yet support them monetarily. The skilled
artisans of Kutch will also have to be encouraged to virtually jump into the e-conomy.
While the people of Gujarat have proved to the world that they are basically
survivors and can pull through virtually any catastrophe, it is still important for
the country to provide all the necessary backing to this stricken state to hasten
the rebuilding process. The sooner Kutch and other parts of Gujarat stride back to
normalcy, the sooner they will revert to their earlier status of being among the
most prosperous regions of India.
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