BSS to provide training to 10 million marginalised people

Chennai, Aug 7 (UNI) The Bharat Sevak Samaj, a National Development Agency sponsored by the Planning Commission, will provide training to ten million people from marginalised sector in vocational education by 2020, through its one lakh Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) across the country.

Samaj General Secretary B S Balachandran and Project Officer S A G Moison told reporters today that the VTCs would be set up as part of the BSS National Educational Mission.

At present there were 5000 centres in the country, which had trained about 2.5 lakh people over the last two years.

''We are planning to open one lakh centres, of which 50,000 would be converted as community colleges, with adequate infrastructural facilities to provide enhanced training covering about ten million people by 2020,'' they said.

The VTCs would be opened with the support of the state government and with the assistance of private parties, they said, adding the mission of the BSS was to empower people, train them to take up jobs.

About 500 courses were offered through the VTCs with the fees ranging from Rs 100 for a week-long programme to Rs 10,000 for a two year course.

UNI