The Hindu Business Line : ‘Vizag is emerging major centre for apparel export’

Investment and funding
State Government has provided five acres of land valued at Rs 25 cr, Rs 4 cr for buildings
Government of Germany to provide equipment worth Rs 16 crore and required expertise
Gayatri Vidya Parishad will invest Rs 2.5 crore and offer organisational support
Under 11th Plan, Union Government will provide Rs 7.5 crore and the State Rs 2.5 crore

Our Bureau

Visakhapatnam, Feb. 15 There is dearth of skilled personnel in the garment manufacture sector and as Visakhapatnam is emerging as a major centre for apparel export, there is a great need for apparel training centres, according to Mr G. Kumaraswamy Reddy,President of the Indo-German Institute of Advanced Technology (IGIAT).

He was speaking here on Friday afternoon, after an apparel training centre was inaugurated in the IGIAT by Mr Manfred Haebig, sector co-ordinator for German Technical Co-operation.

Mr Reddy said Brandix Apparel City was under-construction in Visakhapatnam and another apparel park was coming up in the district.

“Therefore, we are training young girls here for the industry. In the first batch, Steadfast Apparel, a Hyderabad-based company, is training 30 girls. They will get employed in the company,” he said.

Institutional set-up

He said the IGIAT was jointly established by the Andhra Pradesh Government, the Government of Germany and the Gayatri Vidya Parishad here.

“The State Government has provided five acres of land, valued at Rs 25 crore, and Rs 4 crore for buildings. The Government of Germany is providing equipment worth Rs 16 crore and the required expertise for the institute, whereas the Gayatri Vidya Parishad will invest Rs 2.5 crore and offer organisational support.

“After one year, we have so far trained 2,600 boys and girls for different industries. We have earned Rs 98 lakh and the expenditure is of the same order,” he explained.

He said the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) had agreed to recognise some of the courses and issued joint certificates along with the IGIAT.

“We have succeeded in our basic objectives — enhancing the employability of candidates, providing them with hands-on experience in various trades and upgrading their skills,” he said.

Prof Ramesh, the Director, said a modern mini tool room would be set up under a centrally-sponsored scheme during the Eleventh Plan period.

“The Union Government will provide Rs 7.5 crore and the State Government Rs 2.5 crore. This project will be of great help to the candidates trained in our institute,” he said.

Personnel scarcity

He said the IGIAT was interacting with several industries and “now, even without our initiative, many industries are coming forward to train and absorb our students”.

Mr Haebig said reunification had triggered an economic boom in Germany and there was acute scarcity of skilled personnel in several sectors.

“We need personnel in manufacturing, construction and other sectors. There is great scope for Indo-German co-operation to meet the need. The IGIAT is doing a great job here,” he said.

He said it was a mistake to concentrate on the IT sector alone and ignore the other sectors. “In India, there is talk of inclusive growth and in China of building up a harmonious society. To achieve those laudable objectives, such institutes are needed,” he opined.

Prof Somaraju, Secretary of the Gayatri Vidya Parishad, Dr B.V. Somasekhar, Deputy Director-General of Apparel Export Promotion Council, Mr Shyam, of Steadfast Apparels, and others also spoke at the function.

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