Plan to train youth for jobs mooted

The Karnataka government on Thursday announced the setting up of a 'Skill Commission' to train youth for 1 million jobs to be created in the state's industrial sector in the next five years.

The commission will work on strategies geared at improving the skills of youngsters.

"In the current year, we hope to train 100,000 youth and provide them employment," chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said while presenting the budget for 2008-09.

The government has also proposed to start new industrial training institutes (ITIs) in nine taluks. A total of Rs 20 crore has been earmarked for the upgrade of existing ITIs.

The government has also mooted the Karnataka Knowledge and Higher Education Commission to formulate a mechanism to motivate and attract youngsters to pursue higher education.

On the IT/BT front, the government has proposed to set up technology parks in cities like Hubli-Dharwad, Belgaum, Gulbarga, Shimoga, Davanagere and Mangalore.

Keonics, the state government's marketing agency, will be provided a capital contribution of Rs 10 crore to promote these parks.

In Bangalore, the government has proposed to establish a bio-IT park on the public-private partnership model.

As part of the biotechnology-promotion initiatives, the government has earmarked Rs 5 crore for the Institute of Bio-Informatics and Applied biotechnology.