"We have already declared this as the year of education. Our special thrust is to promote education in the state and make it the educational hub of the country," Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said in New Delhi on Friday.

He said the government has already identified the land for the setting up of the institute and he was in touch with the Human Resource Development Ministry for the purpose.

Apart from this, the Haryana government would launch the Rajiv Gandhi Education city at Kundli in September and invite the private players in a big way to set up educational institutions in the state.

"Qualitative and quantitative changes are being brought about in education and its infrastructure. Its impact would be visible not only in the state but also in the Delhi-NCR region," Hooda said.

He also announced several financial incentives for the SC children and those living Below Poverty Line (BPL). All SC and children from the BPL category will get financial incentive per month - ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 300 in various categories to continue their school education, he said.

"For private sector participation in education, we have already brought a Bill for private universities. All these private institutes would have a reservation of 25 per cent for the children of the state," Hooda added.

There would be a virtual doubling of engineering and MBA seats in the National Capital Region (NCR) area of Haryana, he said.

The CM said the allocation of funds for primary, secondary and higher education has been increased manifold as compared to the previous government.

"In the last 3 years alone, we have opened 58 new ITI's in which 19 are centres of excellence," Hooda said. Replying to a question on the controversy generated by the Special Economic Zones (SEZs), the CM said the policy of the state government on SEZs is one of the best in the country and other states are seeking assistance in framing such a policy.