New Industrial Training Institutes: Nobody's child

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The just-concluded Autumn Session of the State Assembly passed a Bill for the setting up of a skill university. Various NGOs have been imparting skill development training under the 'Assam Skill Development Mission'. All these seem steps in the right direction.

However, what makes the State government abandon the building infrastructures of 12 ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) set up in the minority-dominated areas across the State?

The 12 ITIs were set up with Central funds during the Congress regime. The cost of each of these infrastructures was around Rs 5 crore. The fact is that most of these building infrastructures have been lying idle even after their construction.

The present government in the State does precious little to use these building infrastructures for skill development, so does the Assam Skill Development Mission. It has not done anything worthwhile for the proper use of these infrastructures. What's happening in the name of skill development in the State is that hundreds of NGOs have been imparting skill development training under the 'Assam Skill Development Mission'. These NGOs have taken rooms on rent, some of which look like cubbyholes, for imparting skill development training.

The credence of skill-development training imparted by such NGOs is not beyond question. By the same logic, the placement records of the youths who received training under such NGOs shouldn't be above scrutiny till date.

What led to such a fate of the ITI buildings? According to sources, the onus of running the ITIs lies with the Directorate of Employment and Craftsmen Training under the Department of Labour and Employment. During the previous government, the Centre pumped in funds and the State government went on a rampant selection of sites and erected ITI building infrastructures without even creating the posts of teaching and non-teaching staff.

It so happened that when the building infrastructures were erected, no process was initiated for the creation of posts for teaching and non-teaching staff. The result is that even after completion of the ITI buildings, classes have not been started as yet.

A reality check shows that the ITI building at Bilasipara was inaugurated by the then Minority Development Minister in 2013 when no teaching and non-teaching staff was recruited. Such complete ITI building infrastructures lying abandoned are at Lahorighat in Morigaon district and another near Mangaldai town.

A few years back, an attempt was made to run these ITIs under the PPP (private-public partnership) mode without success. The infrastructures could have benefitted local youths had the skill-honing trainings by the NGOs carried out there.

Therefore, what is happening in the name of skill development is quite out of sync with the very objective of the Assam Skill Development Mission that reads "it is an apex body for all matters relating to skill development activities of the State for both private and public sectors".

All these ITI buildings are assets of the State government that should rack its brains for their proper use so as to benefit the youths by honing their skills in the right way.  

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