An ITI in Kendrapara. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, July 30: The state government today decided to set up 24 industrial training institutes to produce skilled workers to meet labour requirements for its ongoing industrialisation drive.

Besides, the central government is setting up five such institutes (ITIs) and 10 skill development centres in Maoist-affected districts such as Malkangiri, Deogarh, Rayagada, Sambalpur and Gajapati.

Out of the proposed 24 ITIs to be established by the state government, preliminary work has started for six at Raighar, Chandahandi, Laxmipur, Khariar, Nayagarh and Jharsuguda.

“Sites have already been selected for these institutes. The construction will be completed by the end of current fiscal,” said technical education secretary Chandrasekhar Kumar.

These institutes will impart skilled craftsman training of two years’ duration for fitters, welders and electricians. The educational qualification for such course will be matriculation.

Candidates for admission into the government-run training institutes will be selected at the district level on the basis of marks.

A review undertaken by chief minister Naveen Patnaik revealed that the state had 29 government-run ITIs with a total of 9,936 seats. Of these, two are under construction — one in Rayagada and a special ITI for disabled persons at Barang near Bhubaneswar.

The intake capacity in government-run training institutes has been targeted to be increased to 46,280 by 2016-17.

Apart from the ITIs, the state has 13 polytechnics that offer diploma courses. Eight more polytechnics with an intake capacity of 2,000 have been added this year. Construction of these polytechnics, which are located in Sambalpur, Sonepur, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Balasore, Kendrapara, Gajapati and Balangir districts, has been complete and admissions will start from the next month.

To train the instructors, an Institute for Training of Trainers is being established at Talcher with the assistance of the World Bank. Another such institute will shortly come up in Bhubaneswar.