Delhi Government mulling expanding ITI to accomodate lakh students

New Delhi, Mar 9: Delhi government is considering expanding the capacity of Industrial Training Institute in the city to absorb one lakh students with a projected outlay of Rs 1,000 crore, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said while inaugurating an ITI at Mongolpuri.

Maintaining that education and employment are priorities of his government, he said every year about 2.5 lakh class 12 students pass out, of whom 1.25 lakh are absorbed in existing colleges but the remaining, mostly from poor background do not get admission.

The new ITI has been built at a cost of Rs 15.9 crore on an acre of land to accomodate nearly 1500 students. Kejriwal said as per his calculations creating capacity for one lakh students will require Rs 1,000 crore and 100 acres of land.

"We will ponder over this calculation whether capacity for one lakh students could be created if education department is given Rs 1,000 crore and 100 acres of land next year," he said. The foundation stone of ITI Mongolpuri was laid in August 2008 and construction was completed in July 2015.

It was started with around 500 students from August 5 last year but the students intake from the coming session is to be increased to 1,440.

Citing his government's achievement in completing projects economically and efficiently, the chief minister claimed, "It has never happened in the past 67 years of India's history that a flyover estimated to cost Rs 325 crore was completed in Rs 200 crore and an ITI which was expected to cost Rs 24 crore was constructed with Rs 16 crore."

Delhi government is saving money and spending it on extending facilities to people such as rebate in water bills and free medicines and tests at the government hospitals, Kejriwal said.

Referring to a group of demonstrators who raised slogans against him and waved black flags, he said such politics was beyond his comprehension and he failed to understand what they wanted from him.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said the government is planning to accord "class 12" and "part diploma" status to the ITI courses so that students pursuing the courses after class 10 or class 12 could join graduation and diploma courses respectively, in future.

"The government is working on this scheme which will also require approval of the Central government," he said.

PTI