Hyderabad, Aug 20 (PTI): Polytechnic students held protests here and other places in Telangana on Thursday against the state government's move to merge polytechnic with its Young India Skills University.

The students were supported by BRSV, the students' wing of BRS.

Demanding the withdrawal of a Government Order (GO) over the merger, the protesting students expressed fears that they would not get lateral entry into the second year of engineering after completing polytechnic (diploma in engineering).

Holding placards that read 'stop merger of polytechnic colleges in SHAKTI department', they raised slogans like 'say no to SHAKTI'.

"Polytechnic students have been joining B Tech second year through lateral entry for a long time. But now, we don't have entry into BTech with this GO. We have to study Plus Two and then appear for B Tech entrance. We are going to lose several years," a protesting student told mediapersons.

State Labour Minister G Vivek Venkatswamy clarified that polytechnic students would continue to have lateral entry into engineering second year.

He appealed to the students not to have any apprehension on the matter.

The GO issued earlier by the state government renamed the the existing Labour, Employment, Training and Factories Department as the Department of Skill Human Capital and Knowledge Training Initiatives (SHAKTI).

According to the GO, the subject matter of the Young India Skills University (YISU) is transferred from the Industries department to the newly renamed Department of SHAKTI.

It said All Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Advanced Technology Centres (ATCs) in the state would be integrated under the direct institutional umbrella of the Young India Skills University (YISU).

The GO further said all Polytechnic Colleges shall be brought under Young India Skills University framework and ecosystem.

(PTI)

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.