AP to become as skill development hub

Amaravati: Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the IT and Skill development department to construct a centralised monitoring institute within a year which will focus on improving curriculum and introducing skill development programmes in the education system across the State.

During a review meeting on skill development programme on Monday at his residence at Tadepalli in Guntur, Jagan said in the first phase 30 colleges will be developed as skill centres. All these will also come under the newly proposed institute. The government aimed at enhancing skills among students on par with global standards.

While discussing the IT policy and skill development, Chief Minister asked the officials to set up one centre in each Parliamentary constituency, four centres in collaboration with the four triple IITs and one centre linked to the Pulivendula JNTU. Their supervision will be centralized and later on expansion plans would be taken up.

A high-end skill development centre would be set up in Visakhapatnam for fostering the IT sector and later on such centres would be established in Central Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. A committee would be set up for taking skill development forward in the state with IT and Industries Minister Mekapati Gowtam Reddy as its chairman and officials from the Higher Education Council and IT department as its members.

He outlined the need to set up a centralized administrative block first for supervising the skill development centres and preparing a curriculum for the purpose. The course material will be updated from time to time. He wanted the provision of admission to meritorious engineering students in the centres.

The Chief Minister made it clear that such skill development centres should enable students to compete with their counterparts in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai. He said a plan of action should be prepared to make the dream a reality to give a fillip to the industrial sector in the state.

Jagan directed the officials to prepare a plan for the utilization of desalinated water in the industries in the coastal region. He said each litre of water was being sold at the rate of 4 paise in Israel. He said efforts should be made to set up desalination plants by discussing the issue with the industries concerned in the region. He said that the previous government has kept incentives worth Rs 4,500 crores pending to industries.

Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy, Skill Development Corporation chairman Challa Madhu and Skill Development Special Chief Secretary Ananta Ramu were among those present on the occasion.