The Hindu Business Line : Rural IT centres for youth on the anvil

THE Union Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs has announced a programme for setting up a string of Rural Information Technology Youth Development Centres (RITYDCs) in select 146 districts around the country.

The programme will be implemented through the auspices of the Nehru Yuvak Kendras, a spokesman for the Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangathan, Thiruvananthapuram Zone, said.

The programme aims to make use of the scientific and technological know-how to make available to the youth population valuable information on various welfare and development schemes as well as opportunities in the education and employment sectors.

Voluntary organisations can make use of the facility for acclimatising themselves with various resource mobilisation options available to them.

According to the spokesman, application forms for of all major schemes floated by various Union Ministries and other details can be had from the RITYDCs.

This apart, the centre will also conduct carrier guidance programmes for the youth.

It will also be concerned with reaching to them maximum possible gains from the "information explosion".

In Kerala, RITYDCs have been sanctioned in all districts except Pathanamthitta, but including Mahe, which is under Pondicherry administration.

The choice of locations have been made on the basis of recommendations made by a committee headed by the District Collector vouching for the commendable performance of the respective youth development centres over a period of the previous three years.

Each RITYDC will be given a financial assistance of Rs 1.2 lakh to start with.

The Former High Court Judge, Mr K.K. Narendran, will hold the State-level inauguration of the RITYDCs on Monday at Kochi, the spokesman added.

During the course of the current fiscal, the Nehru Yuvak Kendra will launch a number of schemes aimed at employment generation, employment training, rural tourism development and counselling for adolescents, the spokesman said.

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