Hyderabad: The Union Government has sanctioned a National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) for Andhra Pradesh.

The Institute would be set up in Srikaulam in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. There are currently 23 NIELITs in different parts of the country but none in Andhra Pradesh.

The institute would be set up at a cost of Rs 50 crore to train youth, particularly from rural areas, in information technology through short and long term courses, Union Minister of State for Information Technology and Communications Killi Kruparani said.

A team of officials from the Department of Electronics and Information Technology will visit Srikakulam to identify a suitable location for the proposed institute.

The institute would start functioning later this year out of rented premises, till the new infrastructure is put in place, a Ministry press release said.