LUCKNOW, May 14 -- A proposal should be drafted to make at least two industrial visits mandatory for every student, said technical education minister Ashish Patel while presiding over a review meeting on Tuesday. He directed that civil engineering students be taken to expressway, tunnel, and dam construction sites, while mechanical and electrical engineering students should receive practical exposure through visits to EV manufacturing plants and other industrial units. During the meeting, officials reviewed the progress of several initiatives under the technical education department, including the placement portal, AI integration, NAAC and NIRF rankings, industrial visits, industry collaborations, and various MoUs. Patel placed special emphasis on making industrial visits and industrial training mandatory within technical institutes. He asserted that engineering students cannot be confined solely to theoretical, book-based knowledge. The inclusion of AI-based courses was also discussed during the meeting. Officials informed that courses based on new technologies and AI integration are being developed in collaboration with various institutions, including Infosys, to equip students with skills aligned with new-age vtechnologies, the press release read. Officials said that over 8,000 students have already been onboarded onto the department's placement portal. In collaboration with Naukri.com, a dedicated landing page is also being developed for students in Uttar Pradesh to improve access to local job opportunities....