The government will set up a centre of the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering & Technology (Cipet) in Motihari where students can pursue a degree course.

Bihar has one of these institutes in Hajipur from 1994 but that only offers diploma courses.

"The state government will sanction around Rs 25 crore for setting up the necessary infrastructure for the centre in Motihari and the same amount will be provided by the Centre," industries minister Jai Kumar Singh told The Telegraph. The industries department has taken the initiative to set up the centre.

The science and technology department will provide eight acres on the premises of the government engineering college in Motihari, around 160km northwest of Patna.

Singh, who holds additional charge of the science and technology department, said he had given in-principle approval for the land transfer and very soon the other formalities would be completed. "We would put up a detailed proposal at the cabinet meeting for land transfer for the Cipet centre and a separate proposal for sanctioning of funds for the infrastructure work would be put up," he said. "All these formalities will be completed in two months."

He expressed hope that the Motihari Cipet would start functioning within two years.

Samar Kumar, a Class XI student from Motihari, who aspires for a career in engineering, said: "If a central institution like Cipet opens in Motihari, students like us would be greatly benefited as we will be able to pursue a degree course from our hometown."

The government of India, with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme, established Cipet first in Chennai in 1968, aimed at developing manpower in different disciplines of plastics engineering and technology, as there was no institute to cater to this sector at that time.

CIPET now has 28 centres cross the country, including Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Raipur, Ranchi and Lucknow.