BANGALORE: Traditional skills will soon have a stamp of official approval. "The government will issue certificates to traditional and hereditary professions like carpentry and pottery. It will help the practitioners get a job anywhere in the world,'' rural development minister Shobha Karandlaje said on Thursday.

The cabinet has approved the State Skill Development Action Plan, which intends to provide the certification. The government plans to generate employment for 10 lakh persons in five years. For the programme, the cabinet has approved Rs 30 crore, in addition to Rs 25 crore already released.

The cabinet has also given its nod for a proposal to seek Rs 1,500 crore aid from World Bank to provide safe drinking water and sanitation facilities in 1,370 villages in 15 districts affected by fluoride content. The districts covered are Bangalore Urban, Bangalore Rural, Bellary, Chitradurga, Hassan, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagar, Mandya, Raichur, Koppal, Gulbarga, Davangere, Mysore and Tumkur.