Ahmedabad: As part of Gujarat Government policy to create job opportunities for youth in remote areas, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today inaugurated a Vocational Training Centre built at a cost of Rs.22-crore in collaboration with Atul Private Limited on PPP basis at Ozarpada in Dharampur taluka

Mr. Rupani handed over the admission letters to the students and chatted with them for a while enquiring about their future aspirations.

Speaking on the occasion, he said the number of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the state has increased from 125 to 800. They are a big source of providing jobs to the youth. Gujarat is a best destination for global investors. India has the world’s largest young population. The effort is towards making Gujarat ‘job-giver’ rather than ‘job-seekers’ for the youth.

He said the government’s policy is to develop remote areas and backward regions. The government is building medical colleges in tribal areas, even as the number of seats in medical colleges has increased from 3,500 to 5,000.

Referring to drinking water problem in the hilly tribal regions, he said the government aimed at providing urban facilities in tribal facilities, to make the state free from hand pumps in five years. He said the Rs.500-crore Dharampur-Kaprada Water Supply Scheme would be completed soon.

Minister of State for Tribal Welfare Shabdasharan Tadvi said that tribal people have great creative power which needs to be cultivated and developed. The ITIs should help them develop their natural talents.

Atul Private Limited Managing Director Sunil Lalbhai gave details of the Centre under the policy of ‘Make in India’.

Tribal Department Secretary R.C. Meena said that there are eight ITIs working in the state on PPP basis, providing 75 per cent capital to such centres, training about 15,000 youths.

Those present on the occasion included District Panchayat President Jitendrabhai Tandel, MP K.C. Patel, MLAs Bharatbhai Patel, Ramanbhai Patkar, Prohibition Director B.K. Kumar, Collector Remya Mohan, DDO Gaurang Makwana, DSP Sunil Joshi, ex-MP Kanjibhai Patel, Gandhian Vimlaben Lalbhai, among others.

– Information