The long-cherished dream of the youth of Prakasam district to pursue Information Technology course from a premier institution in Ongole itself will become a reality in the new academic year.
The government on Saturday set up a IIIT office here to expedite construction of buildings for the proposed Abdul Kalam IIIT.
“Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu will lay the foundation stone for the institution here by this month-end, and it will start functioning from here from the new academic year,” Human Resources Development Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao said.
The IIIT, with an intake of 1,000 students with rural background, is presently functioning from Idupulapaya on a temporary basis.
The number of IIITs in the State would go up to five with the opening of one more institution in Anantapur under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies next year to admit, in all, 5,000 students.
Supernumerary seats would be created to admit students with 10 Grade Average Points from all mandals in the IIITs at Nuzvid, Idupulapaya, Srikakulam, Ongole and Anantapur, he added.
ANU PG centre
to be upgraded
The Acharya Nagarjuna University Post-Graduation centre would be developed into a full-fledged university by the new academic year with funds from the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA), the Minister added. Stating that Visakhapatnam was a strong contender to Ongole for the location of the University of Mines and Minerals promised by the Chief Minister, he said: “I am making best efforts to ensure the university is set up in Prakasam district.”
Ramayapatnam port
District-specific industrialisation plans had been finalised by the Chief Minister, who had promised to take up construction of Ramayapatnam sea port at any cost, said Transport Minister and Infrastructure Mission Co-Chairman Sidda Raghava Rao. TDP district unit president and Ongole MLA D. Janardhana Rao said that a 4.8-km road would be laid to provide connectivity to the IIIT from Pellur on the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway.
