NAGPUR, Jan 3 : Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Friday urged the Maharashtra Tribal Development Department to enhance the skills of tribal students in the state through various courses and help them become engineers, doctors and civil servants.
The Minister of Road Transport and Highways was addressing a gathering at the prize distribution programme of a state-level competition organised by the department.
He suggested to Minister of Tribal Development Ashok Uike, who also attended the programme, to conduct ratings of ‘ashrama shalas (residential schools) for tribal students and facilitate those with good performance to set up skill development institutes.
The Union minister stressed the need to aim high and batted for rolling out schemes to ensure quality education and skill development courses for tribal children.
“Help the tribal children become professionals like researchers, doctors, engineers and civil servants,” Gadkari said.
Gadkari exhorted the department to also focus on providing training to tribal students so that they can take up jobs in the hotel industry, and become loco pilots and airline pilots.
Speaking later at the ‘URJAVARAN 2025’ conference on energy and environment, the Union minister pitched for affordable housing and reducing cost of construction.
“Not everyone can purchase high end housing. Most people need affordable housing. The cost of construction should be reduced to less than Rs 1200 per square foot. It is possible,” he said.
Gadkari said he was working on a “smart housing project” in Bela in Nagpur where 500 square feet houses will be provided for Rs 5 lakh each.
Raising concern over air pollution and climate change, the Union minister said all stakeholders must come up with new ideas and innovations for environment-friendly development. (PTI)
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