Mangalore: State Mulls Doubling ITI intake from 1.3 lac to 2.6 lac students 
Pics by Dayananda Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SB) 
 
Mangalore, Mar 1: The state mulls doubling the intake of students at the Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) from the present 1.3 lac to 2.6 lac to provide opportunity for many aspirants of technical education, said labour minister B N Bachche Gowda. 

He was speaking after inaugurating the golden jubilee celebrations of Government ITI at Kadri Hills on Sunday February 28. More importance should be given to the ITIs that provide means of living for rural youngsters; he said adding that more funds would be allotted to the ITIs and also provide required facilities and machinery with upgradation of 158 ITIs. There are plans to set up 593 skill development centres all over the state to make youth more employable as the skill development average of the country is as low as only 8%, he added.

Minister said that apart from the HRD centres set up in Mangalore, Gulbarga and Bijapur with private partnership, 12 more sub-centres will be opened in the state. Also 100 hostels in collaboration with department of social welfare and NIIT that would provide spoken English, computer and commerce skills will be opened across the state, he said. Though government will try to introduce 5% reservation for people who pass out of it is in polytechnics, the efforts will also be made to introduce a State Certificate for Vocational Training in the lines of the NCVT given to ITI pass out at present, minister observed.

Earlier the minister laid foundation stone for Centre of Excellence building and Women’s ITI building constructed expending Rs 85 lac and Rs 3 crore, respectively. He also inaugurated technical exhibition organized as part of the golden jubilee.