Move to create more skilled manpower in textile industry

The ministry of textiles and jute will set up more institutions to create more skilled manpower to help the sector grow.  
Currently, only 33 per cent of local textile engineers and technicians are engaged in the sector against the total demand of 150,000.  
"More textile engineering colleges, textile institutes and textile vocational institutes will be set up to plug the shortage of textile engineers and technicians,," an official of the ministry, who attended a review meeting on the activities taken by the ministry under the Annual Development Programmes (ADP) for the fiscal year (FY) 2014-15 told the FE.       
Acting secretary of the ministry Farid Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury presided over the meeting at the conference room of the ministry.
The meeting was told that 53 per cent of 16 projects under the ADP were implemented till April 2015.
Till April last, over Tk 976 million has been disbursed, which is 70.41 per cent of the total amount of Tk 1.38 billion for the fiscal year (FY) 2014-15 for 16 projects of the revised ADP.   
Of the 16 projects, the Department of Textiles is implementing eight projects while Bangladesh Handloom Board three, Bangladesh Silk Development Board two, Bangladesh Silk Research and Training Institute one, Department of Jute one and the ministry one.
Of the 16 ADP projects, four will be completed during the current fiscal.  
The meeting also discussed high demand of textile engineers in the country. At present, there are only 50,000 textile engineers against the total demand of 150,000, forcing the country to bring in a large number of textile engineers and technicians from abroad to meet the demand.
Establishment of seven textile institutes in Jessore, Netrokona, Lalmonirhat, Chandpur, Madaripur, Gaibandha and Naogaon while two textile engineering colleges in Rangpur and Jamalpur are now awaiting approval from the Planning Commission. The commission has already approved setting up of textile institutes in Jamalpur and Bhola to create more textile engineers and technicians at the executive level of the sector.
    talhabinhabib@yahoo.com