Just wondering...

What happened to the centre’s scheme of modernising ITIs through the PPP route? The plan has already started rolling. The Centre is modernising 1,396 ITIs into “centres of excellence” at a cost of Rs 3,550 crore under a scheme announced in Budget 2007-08. The first batch of 300 ITIs has bagged industry partners and central government funding of Rs 2.5 crore each in the form of an interest-free loans.

Of the second batch of 300 ITIs, which will be modernised during the current financial year, state governments have so far sent 191 proposals to the Centre. There are over 1,900 state-run ITIs in India. Tata International, ITC, JSW Group, Bharat Forge, Videocon Industries and Ashok Leyland are some of the big names that have partnered with ITIs so far.

—Kapil Bajaj