Kakching: In a major stride towards youth empowerment and community development, the Assam Rifles successfully concluded the 4th Skill Development Training Programme in Hospitality at Pallel Garrison in Kakching district, Manipur. Organised in collaborative partnership with REACHA and fully supported by the IIFL Foundation under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the programme aims to enhance the employability of local youth by imparting industry-relevant professional skills and creating sustainable livelihood paths within the booming tourism and hospitality sectors.
The comprehensive initiative has consistently generated highly encouraging outcomes through a blend of structured training, industry exposure and dedicated placement support, enabling an overwhelming majority of participants to successfully transition into productive career paths or advanced studies. The latest batch of 50 trainees, consisting of 34 women and 16 men, underwent training from 15 March to June 2026. Demonstrating the commitment of the Assam Rifles towards the welfare of military families and the population of underserved areas of Manipur, the fourth batch also welcomed several children of Ex-Servicemen into its ranks.
A formal Certificate Distribution Ceremony was organised at Pallel Garrison to mark the successful culmination of the training cycle. Dr SS Olish, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Chandel district, graced the event as the Chief Guest alongside Major General Gaurav Sharma, Inspector General of Assam Rifles (South). Official course completion certificates were presented by REACHA to all successful candidates during the ceremony. The ceremony was attended by 120 people including trainees, their family members and representatives of the IIFL Foundation and Assam Rifles personnel, with the military contingent comprising a combined figure of 35 security officials and troops. Speaking on the occasion, the Inspector General highlighted the critical role of professional skill development, self-reliance and gainful employment in shaping a prosperous future for local youth and fostering overall socio-economic progress across the underserved areas of Manipur.
The collaborative framework has achieved remarkable milestones since its inception, having successfully trained 196 local youth across four successive batches. The programme has secured an outstanding success rate, with the vast majority of graduates successfully settled. From the initial three batches alone, out of 146 attendees, 92 secured premier national placements, 20 transitioned into local employment within Manipur as hospitality professionals, educators and hotel wardens, while another 20 successfully transitioned into higher education.
A closer look at the training trajectory reveals a consistent record of successful career placements. Batch I, which ran from 22 July to 24 October 2025, trained 46 candidates and secured immediate employment for 22 of them. Batch II operated from 03 November 2025 to 14 January 2026 with 50 candidates, leading to 34 high-profile placements in premier establishments including the Trident Hotel in Bandra, Mumbai, the W Hotel in Goa and Hotel Vijan Mahal in Jabalpur. Batch III similarly trained 50 local youth, comprising 23 girls and 27 boys, and enabled 36 graduates to secure national employment in leading establishments such as Le Méridien in Navi Mumbai, Sterling Holidays and Taj Vivanta in Bhubaneswar.
Reflecting the enduring momentum of the program, 19 students from the freshly graduated fourth batch have already been placed in premier nationwide properties including the Trident Hotels in Mumbai, Le Méridien in New Delhi, ITC Fortune in New Delhi and Bagicha Wilderness in North Odisha. The remaining graduates are actively engaged in the ongoing placement process with corporate interviews currently in progress to absorb the rest of the batch. Through this ongoing livelihood initiative, the Assam Rifles continues to proactively drive youth empowerment, employment generation and community building to contribute significantly to the broader narrative of nation-building.
