Chennai: Union minister of state for shipping, road transport, highways and chemical & fertilisers Mansukh Lal Mandaviya called upon the Indian Maritime University (IMU) here to start a new course in ship breaking and hazardous waste management. “Environment friendly ship breaking is in high demand now and IMU should cater to this,” he said during his interaction with the varsity’s faculty and students on Thursday. In order to boost maritime education the Centre has increased the budgetary allocation for IMU to Rs 40 crore per year, from the earlier allocation of Rs 6 crore for five years provided under the previous Congress government.
Asserting that many opportunities awaited the students, as the Union government was taking many initiatives for the growth of the maritime sector, Mr Mandaviya said his government was committed to providing quality education to all including maritime sector. “There is lot of potential in the university. The management could provide more international exposure and interaction so that the quality of its output could be at par with the best in the world,” he added. He also called upon private players to participate in the training, as this would help bridge the demand supply gap of marine experts.
