Keys to industrialization

The inauguration of the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in the state has been a long-awaited event and heralds the beginning of an era of accelerated development and industrialisation- a vital component that has hitherto been sorely missing in the push for progress in Manipur. The collective mood and expectations of the public cannot be anything but upbeat about the prospects and possibilities of such an infrastructure even though one cannot help but harbour apprehensions regarding the proper and optimal utilization
of such a beneficial initiative. The issue of the actual purpose or objective of the institute also remains open to interpretations, as according to the inaugural speech of the Chief Minister, the institute aims to train youngsters so as to enable themselves to be gainfully employed in various companies and industries in other states and countries, while the broader expectations of the public is for the institute to attract great minds and help set up more and better infrastructures in the state which will ultimately change the status of the state from one which host industrial trainees to one which house trained industrial experts and skilled workers. The focus should not be merely to nurture young minds only to export them, but to shape them into assets which need to be utilized for the transformation of the state. There are hundreds, if not thousands of young, dynamic, experienced and highly talented industrial experts spanning the whole gamut of the spectrum of industrial technology who have their origin in the state and are serving and providing their invaluable services and expertise not only in different parts of the country but even in some of the most prestigious industrial setups across the globe. It would be a tremendous learning experience for the trainees in the institute if these distinguished experts could be made to share their ideas, knowledge and vision with them, but for that to happen, it is imperative that the state government takes the initiative. Even with their busy schedules and workloads, one can safely assume that these
experts would have it in their hearts to give back to the land of their birth, and that they will be only too happy to be invited to share in the development and progress of the institute, and by extension, the state in their own way. Now that the institute has become a reality, the long walk has just begun. Students in the state need to be made aware of the benefits and the possibilities that would open up for them once they receive training from the institute and guide them towards their goal. The ITI is not merely an institute for  the state but represents the possibilities of a thousand dreams to be turned into reality for the estranged state rife with unrest, social disturbances and discontent. The future of this promise lies in the manner with which the state government goes about managing and controlling the course. It might just turn out to be the harbinger of progress, or very well prove to be yet another white elephant.