The State government will construct a residential training centre in Delhi for youth who aspire to take competitive examinations like the Civil Services and Defence examinations, Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi said in Belagavi on Sunday.

This will benefit candidates from poor and rural areas trying to find coaching in the national capital. Two candidates from each taluk of the districts will be provided with an opportunity to stay and study, the Minister said.

He was speaking after felicitating over 280 meritorious students from across Belagavi and Chikkodi districts who performed well in the SSLC and PU examinations at the Suvarna Soudha here.

The district administration and the Zilla Panchayat organised the event where four youth who cleared various UPSC examinations were also felicitated.

“The entire State is praising you for your academic achievements. I am sure you will clear difficult examinations like UPSC and serve the country as IAS and IPS officers,” he said.

He asked them to study the works of B.R. Ambedkar and live by the principles enshrined in the Constitution.

He said that the State government is aiming at converting every school library into a hi-tech library.

In Belagavi district, “we have built hi-tech libraries in Yamakanamaradi, Gokak and Harurgeri at a cost of ₹3 crore-₹ 4 crore each. We are focussing on school education too. We have constructed 150 government school buildings in Yamakanamaradi. There are plans for 100 more,” he said.

The Minister felicitated youth from Belagavi district who have cleared UPSC examinations.

Those honoured are Basavaraj Kempawad, Kiran Kamat, Rahul Patil and Basavaraj M. Patil.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Rahul Shinde said that these celebrations will be an annual event.

He said that the experiment by the Zilla Panchayat to prepare students of government PU colleges for CET and other competitive examinations by making them appear for mock tests has achieved significant success.

MLAs Mahantesh Kaujalagi, Asif (Raju) Seth, MLC Prakash Hukkeri, BUDA chairman Lakshmanrao Chingale, vice-president of the North West Karnataka Transport Corporation Sunil Hanumannavar, Police Commissioner Borase Bhushan Gulabarao, Superintendent of Police K. Ramarajan, Deputy Director of Public Instruction Lilavati Hiremath, Joint Director of Social Welfare Department Ramanagara Gowda Kannolli, District Officer of Backward Classes Welfare Department Basavaraj Kurihuli and others were present.