Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that in order to create self employment opportunities for the unemployed youth of the state, the SAD-BJP government would soon launch a comprehensive plan for providing technical education to them. Presiding over a meeting of the Heads of Technical Institutes here today, the Chief Minister said that the state government was committed for the expansion and promotion oftechnical education in Punjab besides encouraging the students towards the professional studies. Badal said that in today’s era of industrial advancement technical education was the key to success for any inpidual so need of the hour was to adopt professional studies to counter the menace of unemployment. Taking part in the deliberations, the Chief Minister further said that though the numbers of job opportunities in government were limited but there was vast potential in the industrial sector and through self employment for which skilled training was basically required. However he lamented that as the youth of the state were not getting the skilled training so they were not able to reap the benefit of these opportunities. Badal said that keeping in view these aspects the state government has decided to launch a special awareness campaign to make the youth aware about the merits of technical education. Likewise he said that in order to impart skill training to the youth the state government would also focus on establishing more reputed technical institutes across the state. Addressing a group of students present in the meeting, the Chief Minister exhorted them to get technical education for earning their livelihood in a better manner. He said that the state government had already taken path breaking initiatives in the field of technical education for which they have established seven polytechnic colleges and three Dairy Training Centers in the region. Badal said that apart from it technical education and skilled training was also being imparted from Integrated Farmers Training Centre and Construction Skills Training Institute Abul Khurana, State Institute of Automotive and Driving Skills, Mahuana, C-PIET Centre and Training Centre of GADVASU at Kaljharani. The Chief Minister further said that apart from it a course of Gardening and Garden supervisor was also been conducted at Krishi Vigyan Kendar at Bathinda adding that the state government has also set an institute for imparting training of Hotel Management to the students. The Chief Minister said that several students who have got training from these institutes have got placement in leading companies across the globe. Badal said that out of the total 824 students of State Institute of Automotive and Driving Skills Mahuana, 580 have already got jobs in good companies. Likewise he said that 90% of the students of Construction Skill Training Institute Abul Khurana have got good placements in several leading companies. Badal said that in the state the students getting training in these institutes were also getting the facility of reimbursement of fee under NCTV scheme. The Chief Minister further said that the students and the youth from agriculture background could earn huge profits by getting the training of Dairy farming and Fish farming, which was far more profitable then any government job. He said that in order to promote Dairy farming the state government was already giving subsidies to general category and SC community @ of 25% and 33% respectively. Badal said that in its bid to encourage fish farming in the waterlogged areas of the state the government was providing subsidy of Rs 70,000 per hectare to the farmers. The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Special Principal Secretary KJS Cheema, SGPC Member Jathedar Dayal Singh Kolianwali besides several officers of district and Police administration.