THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala has sought the Centre’s assistance for setting up the proposed Institute for Metro and Rail Technology (IMRT) in Kochi. The IMRT, to be established in collaboration with National Skill Development Corporation and Kochi Metro, will offer courses in metro rail technology.
The proposal was made by Labour Minister V Sivankutty at the ‘Kaushal Manthan’ conclave organised by the Union Ministry of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in Hyderabad on Monday. Sivankutty informed Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Jayant Chaudhary, that the Detailed Project Report for IMRT has beep prepared and the space has been allocated. The Centre’s assistance will help fast-track the project that would generate huge employment opportunities for youth in the state.
The minister also sought the Union government’s assistance for the Indian Institute of Foreign Languages (IIFL) that the state has proposed to set up in Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Assistance was also sought for developing the Digital University of Kerala’s Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence that aims to nurture next-generation talent.
The state also made key recommendations at the conclave including continued support for the institutional framework created under the SANKALP programme. Sivankutty pointed out at the conclave that in the last four years, Central assistance to the state has been limited to PMKVY, SANKALP, PMNAPS AND STRIVE schemes. Emphasising the constitutional spirit of cooperative federalism, he urged equitable treatment of all states, irrespective of political alignment.