NAC to benefit women empowerment: Minister

Tirupati, Dec. 26: The minister for roads and buildings, Ms Galla Aruna Kumari, said on Saturday that the state-government mooted National Academy of Construction (NAC) would go a long way in empowering women in the construction field.

Inaugurating the regional centre of the NAC in Tiruchanur, on the city outskirts, the minister said that the main objective the NAC was to produce the best of skilled technicians in the construction field, touching all the important trades.

She said that Andhra Pradesh was lucky to have the academy with its headquarters in Hyderabad.

“While the academy has the chief minister as the chairman, the vice-chairman will be the R&B minister,” she said.

She said that at present the Academy had 170 centres in the state, giving premier training in 19 trades. In the year 2008-9, the centre produced more than 54,000 trainees, with 70 per cent of them being given suitable placement. She appealed to the women groups to educate the eligible candidates with a Class V pass or fail, and having white ration card, to join the various courses, with its duration ranging between three months and one year.

The National ministry of labour and employment would provide the certificates to the candidates after passing the courses.

“The candidates should see that they studied the courses along with good attendance, to receive excellent benefits from the government, including machinery and financial aid.”

The Tirupati rural mandal tahsildar, Mr Veeraswamy Chowdary, and officials from the NAC’s regional office took part in the session. Members of several women groups attended the inaugural classes.