Chhattisgarh to set up ITIs in Maoist-hit districts

Chhattisgarh will set up seven Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Maoist-hit districts in a bid to stop youths from joining the rebels, officials said Saturday.

"The central government has approved a proposal of the state government for setting up seven ITIs in districts worst hit by Maoist militancy. Each ITI will cost Rs.3.72 crore, which includes the cost of constructing the building and a 100-student capacity hostel," a state government official said.

The central government will bear 75 percent of the total expenditure, while the Chhattisgarh government will pay the rest.

The ITIs, that will impart training to youths in five trades, will come up in Rajnandgaon, Bastar, Kanker, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Surguja districts.

Officials say that in the recent years, the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has cashed in on the backwardness and poverty of youths of these tribal districts and inducted them into the outfit by paying them a monthly remuneration.

The state government has also got approval for setting up 14 skill development centres in forested areas hit by Maoist militancy.