Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday emphasised the centrality of skill development in building a self-reliant India, as he launched two significant national schemes focused on education and vocational training for youth.
Speaking at a national convocation ceremony for Industrial Training Institute (ITI) students, PM Modi said the event reflected “how much importance India gives to skills”. He also inaugurated 1,200 skill labs across Navodaya Vidyalayas and Eklavya Model Schools and introduced the PM SETU Scheme, aimed at connecting ITIs directly with industries.
“Today, two more major schemes have been launched, and with the PM SETU Scheme worth thousands of crores, our ITIs will now be directly and strongly linked with industries,” said the Prime Minister.
Highlighting the importance of aligning skill development with local needs, PM Modi stated that the 21st century demands the rapid promotion of local talent, local resources, local skills, and local knowledge.
“Our ITIs play a very significant role in this. Today, young people are being trained in these ITIs in about 170 trades. Over the past 11 years, more than 1.5 crore youth have been trained in these trades, meaning they have been connected with different sectoral skills and technical qualifications,” he added.
The Prime Minister underlined the transformation of ITIs into institutions not only of industrial education but also of national development.
“Our ITIs are not only excellent institutions for industrial education, but they are also the workshop of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. That is why our focus is not only on increasing their number but also on continuously upgrading them,” he said.
The PM SETU Scheme will see ITIs equipped with modern machinery, training led by industry experts, and revised curriculums tailored to present and future market demands.
“Through the PM SETU Scheme, these ITIs will be upgraded. New, modern machines will be introduced. Training experts from the industry will come here. The curriculum will also be upgraded according to current and future demands,” the Prime Minister added.
PM Modi also recalled the government’s initiative to host large-scale convocation ceremonies for ITI students, praising the role of such events in recognising the significance of vocational education.
“I extend my best wishes to all the young ITI colleagues from every corner of India. Today’s ceremony symbolises the importance India places on skills,” he remarked.
Praise For Bihar’s Educational Progress
The Prime Minister also spoke about the transformation in Bihar’s education system, recalling its challenging past.
“This generation may not fully realise how devastated the education system in Bihar was two to two-and-a-half decades ago,” he noted, crediting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and the NDA government for bringing the system back on track.
“Fortunately, the people of Bihar entrusted the government to Nitish Kumar, and we have all witnessed how the entire NDA team worked together to bring the broken system back on track,” he said.
Speaking on the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University, PM Modi referred to the enduring legacy of Karpoori Thakur, a revered leader in Bihar.
“Karpoori Thakur wasn’t made ‘Jan Nayak’ by social media trolls. He was made ‘Jan Nayak’ by the people of Bihar, and they did so after observing his life,” said the Prime Minister.
He warned against political attempts to misappropriate Thakur’s legacy, urging vigilance.
“Nowadays, people are trying to steal even this title of ‘Jan Nayak’. Therefore, I urge the people of Bihar to be vigilant so that this honour bestowed upon Karpoori Thakur by the people is not stolen,” he added.
PM Modi reiterated that the “double-engine government of the NDA” remains committed to modernising educational institutions in Bihar and across India.
The Prime Minister launched several youth-focused initiatives worth more than Rs 62,000 crore on Saturday. PM Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU), a centrally sponsored scheme with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore.
The scheme envisages the upgradation of 1,000 Government ITIs across the country in a hub-and-spoke model comprising 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs. Each hub will be connected to four spokes on average, creating clusters equipped with advanced infrastructure, modern trades, digital learning systems and incubation facilities.
Anchor Industry Partners will manage these clusters, ensuring outcome-based skilling aligned with market demand. Hubs will also house innovation centres, training-of-trainers facilities, production units and placement services, while spokes will focus on expanding access.
The PM-SETU aims to redefine the ITI ecosystem, making it government-owned but industry-managed, with global co-financing support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. In the first phase of the scheme implementation, there will be special focus on ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga.
PM Modi also inaugurated 1,200 Vocational Skill Labs established in 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools across 34 States and Union Territories.
These labs will equip students, including those in remote and tribal areas, with hands-on training in 12 high-demand sectors such as IT, automotive, agriculture, electronics, logistics and tourism.
Aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and CBSE curriculum, the project also involves the training of 1,200 vocational teachers to deliver industry-relevant learning and create an early foundation for employability.
Ahead of the Assembly elections in Bihar, PM Modi launched Bihar’s revamped Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana, under which nearly five lakh graduate youth every year will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for two years, along with free skill training.
He launched the redesigned Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, which will provide completely interest-free education loans of up to Rs 4 lakh, significantly easing the financial burden of higher education. More than 3.92 lakh students have already availed loans worth more than Rs 7,880 crore under the scheme.
Further strengthening youth empowerment in the state, Bihar Yuva Ayog, a statutory commission for people between the ages of 18 and 45, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister to channelise and harness the energies of the state’s young population.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University in Bihar, envisioned to impart industry-oriented courses and vocational education to create a globally competitive workforce.
Taking forward the National Education Policy 2020, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for new academic and research facilities in four universities of Bihar, namely Patna University, Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University in Madhepura, Jai Prakash Vishwavidyalaya in Chapra and Nalanda Open University in Patna, under the PM-USHA (Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan). Together, these projects, with a total allocation of Rs 160 crore, will benefit more than 27,000 students by enabling modern academic infrastructure, advanced laboratories, hostels and multidisciplinary learning.
PM Modi dedicated the Bihta campus of NIT Patna to the nation. With the capacity to host 6,500 students, the campus houses advanced facilities, including a 5G use case lab, a Regional Academic Centre for Space established in collaboration with ISRO, and an Innovation and Incubation Centre that has already supported nine start-ups.
The Prime Minister distributed appointment letters to more than 4,000 newly recruited candidates in the Government of Bihar and released Rs 450 crores in scholarships through Direct Benefit Transfer to 25 lakh students of Class 9 and 10 under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Scholarship Scheme.
(With inputs from ANI)