Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Jan 6: Employment and technical education and training (ETET) minister Sanjay Kumar Das Burma Tuesday demanded establishment of technical institutions in Mao-infested districts in Orissa.
Attending a meeting of state education ministers convened by Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Das Burma demanded establishment of community colleges and Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) in 14 Maoist-hit districts along with model career guidance centres in all the districts.
He also urged the Centre to accord University Grants Commission (UGC) affiliation to the government engineering colleges in the state.
Highlighting the potential of the state in mining sector, the ETET minister said Orissa has received a whopping `7-lakh crore investments from various firms.
The state has been an attractive investment destination for many companies on natural resources front.
The investments create employment opportunities for which the state government has introduced a number of employment schemes for the youth, the minister said.
“The state government has targeted to provide employment to 10 lakh youths in the next five years under Chief Minister’s Employment Guarantee Scheme. Priority will be given to the vulnerable sections,” said Das Burma.
Orissa houses Indian Institute of Technology, National Institute of Science Education and Research, Indian Institute of Management, College of Engineering and Technology, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Biju Patnaik University of Technology and other 22 polytechnic colleges which are already providing quality education.
Das Burma said the state government is committed to implement the choice-based credit system (CBCS) and credit framework for skill development (CFSD) that has been introduced by the MHRD.
He pressed for the state’s long standing demand of bringing BPUT and VSSUT under UGC to avail the financial benefit.
The minister demanded implementation of the CBCS in government-run technical colleges and universities. He also urged the Centre to establish regional centers of AICTE, NBA, NAAC along with the Board of Practical Training and Orissa Technical Teachers’ Training and Research Institute in the state.
Union HRD minister Smriti Zubin Irani, minister of state HRD Upendra Kushwaha, HRD secretary SN Mohanty, state secretary Chandrasekhar Kumar and ministers and secretaries of several states attended the meeting.