Education crucial for economic growth: PM

Noting that it is difficult to maintain growth rate without paying attention to the education sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said today that more youngsters should get world-class education.

Noting that it is difficult to maintain growth rate without paying attention to the education sector, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday that more youngsters should get world-class education so that India's scientists and engineers excel in the global arena.

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"To fulfil India's growing economic requirements our UPA government has given special attention to the education sector. It will be difficult to maintain the growth rate without this," Singh said during the foundation-laying ceremony of the Ghani Khan Choudhury Institute of Engineering and Technology here in Malda district.

"We have increased the share of education in GDP from 3.3% to 4%," he said.

Under the initiative taken by the National Skill Development Council there was a mission to impart skills to five crore youths, the PM said.

To boost higher education, the prime minister said the government has introduced new central universities, IITs, IIMs and NIITs.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and West Bengal governor MK Narayanan were among those present on the occasion.

Paying tributes to the former railway minister, Singh said ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury had worked for the development of his area.

The union government has given an aid of Rs 26 crore to the institute, which will help education and employment in Malda and its neighbouring areas, Singh said.

The institute will offer graduate, post-graduate and certificate courses in engineering and technology with special focus on food technology and sericulture.

"We want this to be counted as among the top engineering institutes of the country," the PM said and offered to help, if needed.