Agartala, Jan 19 (IANS): An Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) would be set up in Tripura to encourage the youth to study job-oriented courses within their region, the state's Higher Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty said on Tuesday.

The state government has provided 50 acres of land in Bodhjungnagar, one of northeastern region's biggest industrial zones, 25 km north of state capital Agartala.

"To cope with the growing need of information technology in every sphere and to push youth to study job-oriented courses, the IIIT would be set up at a project cost of Rs.128 crore," Chakraborty told reporters here.

He said: "State-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Northeastern Electric Power Corporation and National Building Construction Company have expressed willingness to be partners of Tripura IIIT as part of their corporate social responsibility."

The minister said that to set up the IIIT, an agreement was signed between the Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry and the Tripura government last week in New Delhi.

An official of Tripura Higher Education Department said the HRD ministry had planned to establish 20 IIITs on a not-for-profit public-private partnership (N-PPP) basis.

"It was earlier decided that the funding will be borne by the central government 50 percent, state government 35 percent and 15 percent by Public Sector Undertakings (PSU). Recently, the funding pattern was modified for the northeastern states increasing the central share close to 60 percent and the remaining portion will be funded by the PSUs," the official added.

He said two more IIITs would be set up in Assam's Guwahati and Senapati district in northern Manipur.

"In the northeastern states, industry participation for capital expenditure would be kept at 7.5 percent instead of 15 percent.

"The central government-participation for the northeastern states would be at 57.50 percent (instead of 50 percent) while state governments would pitch in with 35 percent," the official added.