The State Government on Tuesday decided to open as many as 24 new Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) under the skill development programme with State funding for improving employable skills and creation of self-employment opportunity of unemployed youths as 98 blocks are yet to get any technical education facilities.
However, steps would be taken to establish ITIs in all the 98 left out blocks of the State through Government and private sectors by end of the 12th Plan period and priority would be given to the Maoist infested blocks, said labour and Technical Education and Training Department Minister Pratap Keshari Deb after a high level meeting held under Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the State Secretariat.
He said that as per the decision, six ITIs would be set up and opeationalised during the current year from State fund for which suitable locations had been finalized.
The new Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) would be opened at Chandahandi, laxmipur, Khariar, Nayagarah and Jharsuguda, he said. Stating that 9,936 seats in various trades exist in 29 Government ITIs and around 80,000 seats in 600 private ITIs, he said that it was decided to increase the seats to 46,280 in Government ITIs by end of 2016 to facilitate more youths for skill development training.
The State Government has also initiated a process to establish special ITIs for the physically challenged at Barang on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar and another at Rayagada, he said.
Besides, he maintained that in addition to the existing 13 polytechnics in Government sector, admission would be started during the current academic year in eight new polytechnics in Sambalpur, Subarnapur, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Baleswar, Kendrapada, Gajapati and Bolangir. As many as 2,000 girls would take training under diploma courses in eight polytechnics, Deb said.
The labour and Technical Education and Training Minister said that the Central Government had provided funds to set up two ITIs at Gumma and Mohana and five ITIs and ten skill development centers in five Maoist infested districts.
In order to train the youths for their skill development, it was decided to set up two Institutes for training of trainers at Talcher and Bhubaneswar with the financial assistance of World Bank, he said.