Chennai: As part of the government's measures to increase the supply of skilled manpower, about 15 new polytechnics will be opened in Tamil Nadu this year.

S. Annadurai, Additional Director (Polytechnic), Directorate of Technical Education, said that this move would also help in strengthening Chennai's position as a centre for the automobile industry.

Annadurai spoke at a career guidance programme that was organized for outgoing students of Class 10 by Science City. He said that the large number of students that came from less privileged sections of the society would be provided fee waivers by the government so that they are able to take up diploma programmes.

He informed that in the previous year, around 90 new polytechnics were opened in the state.

Specialized academic programmes that support the city's position as an automobile hub are being offered by several national institutions in the city such as the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology (CIPET).

P.S.G. Krishnan, Chief Manager (Technical) of CIPET said that plastics are an important components of automobiles, adding that CIPET has begun several diploma courses as well as state-of-the-art research programmes in plastic technology.