In order to produce skilled, professional, and certified drivers and minimize road mishaps, the Punjab Government in association with the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will set up North India's first International Driving Training Institute on 27 acres of land in Doraha on Ludhiana-Delhi national highway.
The land has been given free of cost by the Punjab government for the Institute. An amount of Rs 32.86 crore includes Rs 15.23 crore as capital investment and other expenses will be spent by the central government in a year. The Institute will give training to 3600 youths for light and heavy commercial vehicles, heavy equipment operators, and mechanics in a year. Those who have passed 10th class will be trained.
Besides, those successfully completing the driving test at this institute will also be getting support for obtaining an international license here.Presiding over a meeting with local industrialists and manufacturers of heavy/light commercial vehicles to discuss modalities and feasibility for setting up the institute, the Director of Technical Education and Industrial Training, DPS Kharbanda, and Deputy Director General (Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship) Sandhya Salwan said that there was massive demand of experienced and trained drivers, especially for heavy/light commercial vehicles in the country.
Kharbanda said that the institute would have proper classrooms, teaching staff, testing equipment, training vehicles, a workshop, a lab, a library, tracks and driving ranges, a control room, and simulators. Under International Driving Training Program, various job roles with national and international demand including taxi driver, commercial vehicles driver, forklift operator, ambulance driver, auto/e-rickshaw driver, (all level-4), Driver training (level-5), junior backhoe loader operator, junior excavator operator, junior engine and mechanic will be offered.
The Director of Technical Education and Industrial Training pointed out that this upcoming institute will prove an asset for North India in general and Punjab in particular. He expressed hope that with skilled, certified, and trained drivers, the road mishaps will come down and save precious lives.
Further, it will also ensure international driving licenses to interested youths. He said that this institute would also help in meeting huge demand of certified commercial drivers in automotive, construction and logistics sectors.Deputy Director General (Union Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship) Sandhya Salwan said industrialists had given valuable inputs about the need for training courses, and schedule and criterias, which will help run the center efficaciously. She also thanked the Punjab government for offering free land for the institute.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included CICU president Upkar Singh Ahuja, principal Dr. Baljinder Singh, representatives from SML Isuzu Limited, Escorts Constructions Equipment Private Limited, Larsen & Turbo Limited, ACE Construction Equipment, BharatBenz, Tata Industries Ltd, Eicher Motors, Ashok Layland, Shivansh Industries, JCBL India, JCB Parts Manufacturers, Earth Moving Equipment, Excavator Parts Manufacturer, Pioneer Cranes & Elevators Limited, Dada Motors, Grover Leyland, Volvo Construction and Hyundai Construction Equipment India.