Jayalalithaas gift to rural youth

CHENNAI: Aiming to fulfil the higher education dreams of youngsters hailing from rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Thursday announced that 20 new government colleges — two engineering, 11 arts and science and seven polytechnic colleges — will be started in small towns this academic year.Leaders from several parties — Congress, PMK, CPI, CPM, RPI, MMK, AISMK Kongu Ilaignar Peravai and AIFB — hailed the Chief Minister’s announcement in the State Assembly.The two new engineering colleges will come up at Chengipatti in Thanjavur district and Chettikarai in Dharmapuri district, while 11 co-education arts and science colleges will be established at Edappadi (Salem district), Kanyakumari, Vedasandur (Dindigul), Modakurichi (Erode), Thirumangalam (Madurai), Thiruvotriyur (Tiruvallur), Paramakudi (Ramanathapuram district), Kadaiyanallur (Tirunelveli), Aruppukottai (Virudhunagar district), Arkonam (Vellore district) and at Nagapattinam. The seven polytechnic colleges will be set up at Srirangam (Tiruchi), Gandarvakottai (Pudukottai), Sankarapuram (Villupuram), Perundurai (Erode), Ariyalur, Uthankarai (Krishnagiri) and Jolarpettai.