K`taka to permit 20 new ITIs

According to BN Bachche Gowda, state minister for labour, said the government was ready to provide permission to as many colleges required to meet the industry's requirement of skilled workers.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of Skill Summit 2008 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here today, he said the government would focus on extending skill upgradation programmes based on the specific needs of the various industries in the state. There are 148 government ITIs and 740 in the private sector in Karnataka.

During the next fiscal, the state government will be including 30 ITIs for upgradation. The ITIs will be given adequate backing by the government to function as fully-autonomous institutions capable of generating their own funds, Bachche Gowda said.

Earlier, Sharda Prasad, joint secretary and director general, Directorate of Employment and Training, Ministry of Labour, said the Centre had proposed to come out with a national skill development policy, which will address various issues of skill upgrade of graduates and employees in various industries.

The government is working with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to prepare the policy framework. A meeting of labour department representatives of all state governments has been convened on June 20 in Delhi to discuss the proposed policy and arrive at a consensus, he said.

Delivering the keynote address on