Bhubaneswar, April 18: The National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the state government to set up a world-class Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Bhusunda under Sheragarh tehsil in Ganjam.

The MoU was signed in presence of chief minister Naveen Patnaik at the Secretariat. Employment and technical education and training (ET&T) minister Sanjay Das Burma, energy minister Pranab Prakash Das, ET&T director P.K. Panda and NTPC regional executive director Srikumar were present on the occasion.

As per the agreement, the government will provide suitable land for free to the NTPC for the institute. Several trades such as fitter, electrician and welder will be offered at the institute with accreditation from the Quality Council of India. This will be followed by an affiliation of the National Council for Vocational Training.

The institute will be constructed at a cost of Rs 7.72 crore and will have a capacity of 200 at first. The institute will have advanced vocational training facilities in manufacturing, automobile and electrical studies. It will cater to the training needs of the candidates and the trainers.

A government official said that 30 per cent of the sanctioned strength would be reserved for the admission of persons affected by this and other nearby projects, the wards of NTPC employees and other candidates recommended by the corporation. The institute will help the government achieve its target of training and employment of one million youths in the next five years.

Speaking on the occasion, Naveen said the government had been assigning top priority to skill improvement and employment generation among youths, for which it has taken up a number of initiatives. "I hope the institute will suffice to the training need for both gainful employment and self-employment among local youths," said Patnaik.