Institutions of Excellence & Skills Development - Indian Budget 2006 – 2007 (96 - 99)

Institutions of Excellence

96. Last year, I made a beginning with an unprecedented grant of Rs.100 crore to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore to help develop it into a world-class institution. I am happy to report that the IISc has obtained approval for an ambitious programme of modernization, and is implementing the same. This year, I must recognize another historical event. Three great Universities have entered their 150th year. These are the University of Calcutta, the University of Mumbai and the University of Madras. I propose to mark the beginning of the 150th year celebrations with a grant of Rs.50 crore to each University for a specified research department or a research programme in that University. On the conclusion of the year, I intend to make another grant of Rs.50 crore to each of them.

97. I propose to make the special grant of Rs.100 crore for an institution of excellence to a distinguished institution, the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, in acknowledgement of its pioneering contribution to the green revolution.

98. If agriculture is an ancient Indian skill, biotechnology is the new frontier that India will conquer. In order to foster research and development in biotechnology, the Ministry of Science and Technology has decided to accord the status of an autonomous National Institute to the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Tiruvananthapuram, Kerala.

Skills Development

99. Honourable Members will recall that Government has taken up a programme to upgrade 500 ITIs over five years. 100 ITIs are now covered with the help of the private sector. Assistance has been sought from multilateral agencies to cover the remaining 400 ITIs. I propose to allocate Rs.97 crore for this purpose in 2006-07. The Skills Development Initiative (SDI) announced last year has been taken up through a PPP scheme, and I propose to make an initial provision of Rs.10 crore.