Lucknow, Sep 28 (IANS): The Uttar Pradesh government will now train the youth in culinary skills, including bakery and confectionary.

The government has started diploma courses especially to train interested youngsters in these crafts. The government is not only helping the youth in making these food items but also in preserving them to sell at better prices.

According to the government spokesman, the Food Processing Department has established Government Food Science Training Centres in 10 districts at the divisional level.

One-year food processing trade diploma, bakery and confectionery trade diploma and one-year culinary arts trade diploma are being offered in these centres that have opened in Varanasi, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Bareilly, Moradabad and Meerut.

The state government has set a target of training 1,000 beneficiaries every year through these diploma courses.

For the last 4.5 years, the government is continuously training the youth at the State Food Science Training Centres operating in the districts.

As many as 609 were trained in one year food processing trade diploma, 596 in one-year bakery and confectionery trade diploma, 598 in one-year culinary arts (cookery) trade diploma, 1,166 in one-Month Part-Time Bakery & Confectionery Course, 972 in One-month part time cooking and 1,938 trainees have been trained in one-month integrated cookery, bakery and confectionery and food preservation course.

The government has also increased the number of seats for the MSc Food Technology course from 30 to 40 in the Government Institute of Food Processing Technology, Lucknow with the objective of providing trained and skilled human resources to the food processing industries.