The Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation (KMDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to train 10,000 candidates from minority communities in 30 different vocations over the next one year.
KMDC Chairman Masood Foujdar, who was in Mysuru on Monday to inaugurate a new building of KMDC, told The Hindu that the free training programme also comes with a “100 per cent placement guarantee”.
The candidates selected by KMDC will undergo training in 30 different trades including hardware, networking, telecom, electronics, retail etc. “The training programme will range from 250 hours to 400 hours, depending on the programme,” he said.
The training will be provided by NSDC-authorised training institute Rooman Technologies, which has training centres in 53 different locations across India.
The training will be provided in the district headquarters of each of the 30 districts of the State, he said, adding that the number of candidates to be trained would differ from district to district. In Mysuru district, 750 candidates will undergo training, he said.
The cost of the training will be borne by NSDC. “KMDC’s responsibility is to provide them candidates,” he said.
During his visit to Mysuru, Mr. Foujdar met representatives from the Christian and Jain community to address their complaints. Out of the Rs.185 crore budget of the corporation, Rs. 40 crore has been set aside exclusively for the Christian community, he said. During his meeting with Jain community representatives, the gathering was informed about the various schemes of KMDC.
The number of beneficiaries under the State government’s Arivu scheme, which seeks provide financial assistance to minority students pursuing professional courses, has registered a sharp increase this year.
Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation (KMDC) Chairman Masood Foujdar told The Hindu that a total of 3,300 students had availed themselves of financial assistance under Arivu scheme till the conclusion of the second round of Common Entrance Test (CET) counselling for admission to professional colleges. “We have set a target of 5,000 students this year,” he said, adding that the third round and lateral admission rounds were still pending.
Last year, a total of 2,135 students, including 82 securing admission to medical and dental courses, had availed financial assistance under the scheme.
Out of the 3,300 students availing themselves of the education loan under Arivu this year, 120 had joined medical or dental colleges. The rest had joined engineering courses.
Increased awareness among the students of the minority communities belonging to Muslim, Christians, Jains, Buddhist, Sikhs and Parsis about the scheme, besides the increase in the ceiling on the annual income from Rs 4.5 lakh per annum to 6 lakh per annum, had led to the increase in the number beneficiaries, he said.
Loan
Under Arivu scheme, the State government, through the corporation, provides a loan ranging from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 50,000 per annum to students pursuing medical, dental, engineering, postgraduate courses, diploma, nursing, B.Ed, BBM, BCA, DEd, ITI and other courses at 2 per cent interest.
