Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (DV)

Mangaluru, Mar 2: "To provide employment opportunities for boys and girls who have completed graduation and postgraduation, and for those who have discontinued their education, the labour department has placed a demand of Rs 1,100 crore in the 2015-16 budget with state goverment for skill development programme," said state minister for labour P T Parameshwar.

He was addressing a press meet at Congress office prior to party workers' meet here on Monday Febraury 2.

"A sum of Rs 5 crore has been sanctioned to establish labour office at ITI in the city. The government has also sanctioned four ITIs for Dakshina Kannada district," he said.

"The labour department also submitted a proposal to the state government to include BPL families under Rashtriya Swasth Bhima Yojana. Chief minister in a cabinet meeting approved the inclusion of 43 lac BPL families under Rashtriya Swasth Bhima Yojana and sanctioned a grant. The labour department also identified 38 lac families as beneficiaries."

"The department has also registered 5 lac construction and others labourers to avail benefits of smart card. We have also collected the cess of Rs 541 crore for the benefit of unorganized labourers," he said.

Shashidar Hegde, T K Sudhir,, Sadhashiv Ullal, Nazir Bajal and others were present.

Later report

A review meeting at the deputy commissioner's office was held after P.T. Parameshwara Naik's visit to district Congress office.

Speaking to media after the review meeting, P.T. Parameshwara Naik said "Labour welfare board will provide quality education to the children of construction workers in the state, starting with those residing in city corporation limits, from the coming academic year.For this, two options are being examined. The first being directly admitting the children to well-known residential schools and paying their fees and the second is- creating infrastructure for such schools and roping in private institutions for imparting education. A final decision will be taken soon."

Parameshwar also said that "The chief minister will announce multi-trade education system in the state in the budget. Students can study more than one trade to enhance their emoloyability under the proposed scheme."