New Delhi: The government on Tuesday announced the launch of skill courses on tea sommeliers and tasting.

Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal launched the courses approved by the National Council of Vocational Education and Training.

"National Council of Vocational Education and Training (NCVET)-approved skill courses on Tea Sommeliers and Tea Tasting," the commerce ministry said.

Announcing the initiative, Barthwal said the specialised courses by Tea Board India are aimed at skilling the youth and promoting tea literacy. These programmes are proposed to be conducted at the Darjeeling Tea Research and Development Centre, Kurseong.

The two courses are essential for Tea Sommeliers (60 hours), covering professional tea tasting techniques and the development of innovative tea blends. The second course is Fundamentals of Tea Tasting (210 hours).