Govt to set up vocational training institutes in Punjab, 5 other states

Centres to boost skill development opportunities among women

Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday said his ministry is in the process of setting up six Regional Vocational Training Institutes (RVTI) in various states with an aim to boost skill development opportunities among women.

The minister was in the Hyderabad city for the foundation stone laying ceremony of a RVTI.

"To ensure this (women training and empowerment), we have a target of setting up one RVTI in each state. MSDE is presently running 17 such institutes across India. Apart from Hyderabad, six new RVTIs will be established in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Patna, Goa and Tamil Nadu," Pradhan said in a statement issued during the inauguration.

Skill training exclusively for women is being provided through the network of 11 central government institutions and 1,408 state women ITIs and women wings in general ITIs and besides this, 30 per cent of the seats in general ITIs in most of the states are also reserved for women, he said.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, who laid the foundation stone for a RVTI in Hyderabad said, skill development benefits India and also contributes to economies across the world as there is a huge demand for skilled workforce world over and it is a right to reap our demographic dividend and bridge this demand-supply gap.

Naidu also e-inaugurated and launched training at Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras at Etah (Uttar Pradesh), Phulpur (Uttar Pradesh), Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh), Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) and Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) from here.

"Through skill development, we will not only empower our own country and its industries but also contribute to economies across the world. There is a huge demand for skilled workforce world over and it is the right that we reap our demographic dividend and bridge this demand-supply gap," said Naidu.

Naini Narasimha Reddy, Minister of Home, Labour and Employment, Telangana and former Minister of State for Labour and MP Bandaru Dattatreya also spoke in the meeting.

Once established in its new permanent building here, around 1,000 trainees would be trained here every year. The Hyderabad RVTI is expected to cater to the vocational training needs of 480 women annually in regular courses under Craftsmen Training Scheme and Craft Instructor's Training Scheme.

Around the same number of candidates would be trained under various short-term courses in skill areas having a high market demand, the release said.