There will be close cooperation between Punjab Government and the state’s premier IIT Ropar and IIM Amritsar institutions, particularly in the area of Skill Development, among others.
Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh held two separate video conferences with the heads of the two premier institutions on Tuesday.
The State Government signed three MoUs with IIT Ropar in the areas of skill development. The MoUs provide for IIT’s Technical Education Department to become Academic Mentor for the state’s Engineering Colleges at Gurdaspur and Ferozepur, as well as for Sri Guru Gobind Singh Skill Institute at Shri Chamkaur Sahib, five Government Polytechnics and 10 Government ITIs.
Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi said IIT will also help the State in developing one model ITI and one model polytechnic and the others would be modelled on similar lines subsequently.
IIT Director Prof SK Das suggested that the State should take initiative for setting up a Defence manufacturing corridor, with IIT’s support in artificial intelligence (AI) and strategic designing of defence equipment. Responding, the Chief Minister said that he would take up the issue with the Centre.
Capt Amarinder directed the Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan to resolve the IIT’s land acquisition related issues, while urging the IIT to develop its campus as a green campus, with extensive landscaping and afforestation.
He also directed the Chief Secretary to constitute a committee to look into the IIT Director’s submission that Private Universities or Colleges in the State are increasing seats for engineering courses without any checks and balances.
IIM Amritsar also extended support to the State Government in promoting skill development and its director, Prof Ramamoorthy Nagarajan, said that the institution would be organizing various short-term courses for officers, including Excise, Business Management, Taxation etc. The IIM has adopted five villages in Amritsar area as part of its CSR outreach, the Chief Minister was informed.