By A Staff Writer
Bangalore: Inauguration of the Driving Training School for youth belonging to minority communities took place here on November 17. It is jointly sponsored by National Minorities Develoment Finance Corporation and Maruti Suzuki India Limited. Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mr. K. Rahman Khan who launched the school presented certificates of admission to entrants at a function held at the Chancery Pavilion Hotel.
The Driving Training Centre would train nearly 200 youth in driving. The Centre is seeking 20 acre of land from the State Government for the centre in the outskirts of Bangalore. Mr. Khan said India had an overwhelming population of youth and only 20 per cent of them attain higher education. Remaining 80 per cent need to be trained with various skills. Referring to several ghastly accidents in the State in recent days in which more than 50 people were charred to death, he said while transport sector invest Rs. 2 crore in a hi-tech Volvo bus, the human aspects were ignored in imparting training to bus drivers. He said aircraft and merchant navy pilots and even locomotive drivers enjoy high esteem in the society, but the bus drivers are not accorded the similarly respect. He said roads, highways and expressways had received a lot of funding leading to considerable improvement in road conditions and it was time the drivers too were trained to negotiate them.
Mr. Anurag Bajpai, Director, Ministry for Minority Welfare said the Ministry has initiated several skill development schemes for minority youth and has set a target of 3.5 lakh people to be trained under such schemes. He said 75,000 persons would receive training under this scheme this year.
Mr. Tarun Garg, Vice President of the Maruti Suzuki India Limited, said the Company has trained 15 lakh people through its IDTR wing and driving schools across India during the last 13 years. Nearly 47,000 youth have been trained in Karnataka alone. They have six IDTR schools in Northern states.
Mr. Qamarul Islam, Karnataka Minister for Minority Affairs and Municipal Administration said the survey of the waqf properties in the State will cover 70 per cent waqf properties by December 31.
Mr. Rahman Khan indicated that the Hajj Affairs is likely to be severed from the Ministry of External Affairs and made part of the Ministry for Minority Affairs.
Mr. Mohammed Saleem, Managing Director, Karnataka Minority Development Corporation (KMDC) proposed a vote of thanks.
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