Smokeless kitchens in Anganwadis: CM

CHENNAI: Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Monday announced that the 5,000 anganwadi centres in the State would get smokeless kitchens with gas connections, gas stoves and pressure cookers during the current financial year, at a cost of `3.20 crore. Of 54,439 anganwadi centres in the State, 16,645 have got smokeless kitchens aiding 31 lakh persons, including children, pregnant women, lactating mothers, adolescent girls and aged persons, the CM told the Assembly. Children between the age group of two to five coming to the anganwadi centres would be given two sets of clothes this year. In the first phase, the scheme would be implemented at a cost of `4.3 crore in Chennai, Vellore, Tiruchi, Theni and Dindigul districts benefitting 2,01,032 kids.Similarly, beneficiaries of the MGR Nutritious Noon Meal Scheme, who have been given two sets of uniforms so far, would be given four sets hereafter.Govt to Fill Up 50 seats in Pvt ITIsBringing glad tidings for impoverished boys and girls for whom privately run Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) may be out of reach, the Chief Minister said that from the current academic year, the State government would fill up 50 per cent of seats in these private ITIs and pay the tuition fees on behalf of the students. The admission would be done through counselling in all districts.The government would pay `10,000 per student to private ITIs in rural areas and `12,000 per student in urban areas. In the first year, 18,000 students would get training while in the second year, 30,000 students would be benefitted. The governmet has allocated `14.85 crore for the current year and `26.40 crore for the next year.The 62 ITIs run by the government catered to 21,000 youth annually free of cost but that was not enough. The 627 private ITIs across the state could train 60,320 students a year. The private ITIs in rural areas collected `20,000 as fees while those in urban areas collect `25,000 to `30,000.  Since the lesser fortunate were unable to pay this fee, 50 per cent of the seats remained vacant.Recalling the objective of Vision 2023, the CM said that in the next 11 years, the state should produce two crore skilled persons to push up industrial production.