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Bridge manpower gap, says Manmohan Singh

Special Correspondent

Appeals to private sector to increase its participation, investment in higher education

Zuarinagar (South Goa): Expressing concern over the "manpower gap" emerging at various levels of the economy and exacerbated by the migration of talent, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday called for greater government and private sector partnership and "significantly greater participation from private sector and industrial houses" to ease this.

Addressing the gathering after formally inaugurating the Goa campus of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS, Pilani) here, Dr. Manmohan Singh said the quality of scientific and technical manpower was an important determinant of progress of a nation and urged the private sector to act as a catalyst.

Earlier the Prime Minister lighted the traditional lamp to inaugurate the new campus that has come up with an investment of Rs. 130 crore on 188 acres leased by Zuari Industries Ltd., a Birla Group company. Chief Minister Pratapsingh Rane, Pro Chancellor Kumar Mangalam Birla, Members of Board of Governors including B. K. Birla , Vice Chancellor S. Venkateswaran, Goa Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and other dignitaries were present.

Appealing to the private sector to increase its participation and investment in higher education, the Prime Minister said, "the Government was committed to sustaining the present annual rate of growth of close to 8 per cent and indeed we aim to do better, and we want to raise the rate of growth to reach double digits. However, such a sustained growth process will increase demand for natural and human resources including trained manpower at all levels of the production chain."

Admitting that the Government had an obligation to invest in education, especially primary and secondary education, Dr. Sigh said, "however, keeping in step with the market, which increasingly allocates resources and shapes the course of development, private initiative must also play its due role in the field of education, especially the technical education."

Dr. Singh emphasised the need for making the education system more vocationally-oriented to increase employment opportunities. He said the Government had taken up a project to upgrade 500 industrial training institutes (ITIs). Stating that the Confederation of Indian Industry would help upgrade 100 ITIs, he said, "if required, we should be ready to set up more such institutions."

He said the Government was committed to address the issue of increasing access to education at all levels of the knowledge pyramid. "Equally we are also committed to promoting excellence and ensuring that our students and teachers compare with the best in the world," he said.

Complimenting Chancellor of BITS-Pilani K. K. Birla for setting up the Institute and expanding it within the country as well as abroad, the Prime Minister described it as "an outstanding example of private initiative in promotion of higher education in the country."

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