Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a series of youth-focused initiatives worth over ₹62,000 crore, aimed at transforming skilling, education, and employability in India.
A major highlight was the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU), a centrally sponsored scheme with an investment of ₹60,000 crore. The initiative envisions upgrading 1,000 Government ITIs into a hub-and-spoke model with 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs. Each hub will connect with four spokes on average, creating advanced clusters equipped with modern trades, digital learning, incubation facilities, and industry partnerships. With anchor industry players managing the clusters, hubs will house innovation centres, training-of-trainers units, production facilities, and placement services, while spokes will expand access. Co-financed by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, the scheme aims to build a globally competitive, outcome-driven skilling ecosystem. In the first phase, special focus will be on ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated 1,200 Vocational Skill Labs across 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools in 34 States and UTs. These labs, aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and CBSE curriculum, will provide hands-on training in 12 high-demand sectors including IT, automotive, agriculture, electronics, logistics, and tourism. Alongside, 1,200 vocational teachers will be trained to deliver industry-relevant education, creating an early foundation for employability among students, including those in remote and tribal regions.
Ahead of Bihar’s Assembly elections, Modi rolled out Bihar’s revamped Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana, benefitting nearly five lakh graduates annually with a monthly allowance of ₹1,000 for two years along with free skill training. He also relaunched the Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, offering completely interest-free education loans of up to ₹4 lakh, easing higher education access. Over 3.92 lakh students have already availed loans worth ₹7,880 crore under this scheme.
Further empowering youth, Modi inaugurated the Passengers Alert: a statutory commission for citizens aged 18–45, aimed at channelising the energies of the state’s young population. He also inaugurated the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University in Bihar, designed to deliver industry-oriented courses and vocational training to nurture a globally competitive workforce.
In line with the NEP 2020, Modi laid the foundation stone for new academic and research facilities under PM-USHA in Patna University, Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University (Madhepura), Jai Prakash Vishwavidyalaya (Chapra), and Nalanda Open University (Patna). With an investment of ₹160 crore, these projects will benefit over 27,000 students through advanced infrastructure, hostels, labs, and multidisciplinary education.
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The Prime Minister also dedicated the Bihta campus of NIT Patna, built to accommodate 6,500 students. Equipped with a 5G use case lab, a Regional Academic Centre for Space (in collaboration with ISRO), and an Innovation and Incubation Centre supporting start-ups, the campus represents a new hub for research and innovation.
Adding to the empowerment drive, Modi distributed appointment letters to over 4,000 newly recruited candidates in the Government of Bihar and released ₹450 crore in scholarships via Direct Benefit Transfer to 25 lakh Class 9 and 10 students under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Scholarship Scheme.