PM Modi launches youth-focused initiatives worth over Rs 62,000 cr, Bihar gets special focus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled various youth-focused initiatives worth more than Rs 62,000 crore on Saturday with a special emphasis on Bihar. The initiatives are set to give a decisive push to education, skilling and entrepreneurship.

PM Modi launched PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a centrally sponsored scheme with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore.

The scheme envisages the upgradation of 1,000 government ITIs in a hub-and-spoke model comprising 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs, according to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office.

Each hub will be connected to four spokes on an 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, the statement said, adding that hubs will also house innovation centres, training-of-trainers facilities, production units and placement services, while spokes will focus on expanding access.

"Collectively, PM-SETU will redefine India's ITI ecosystem, making it government-owned but industry-managed, with global co-financing support from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank," it said.

In the first phase of the scheme implementation there will be special focus on ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga in Bihar, the statement added.

The Prime Minister 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 involves the training of 1,200 vocational teachers to deliver industry-relevant learning and create an early foundation for employability.

Modi also launched Bihar's revamped "Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana", under which nearly five lakh graduates every year will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for two years, along with free skill training.

He also launched the redesigned Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, which will provide 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, has been formally inaugurated by Modi to channelise and harness potential of the state's young population, it said.

The development comes ahead of polls in the crucial state of Bihar.

Other Bihar project that the prime minister has inaugurated is the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University, which has been envisioned to impart industry-oriented courses and vocational education to create a globally competitive workforce.

Taking forward the National Education Policy 2020 with the vision to make higher education avenues better, he 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.

Modi also dedicated to the nation the Bihta campus of NIT Patna. 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.

He also distributed appointment letters to more than 4,000 newly recruited candidates in the government of Bihar and released Rs 450 crore in scholarships through Direct Benefit Transfer to 25 lakh students of Class 9 and 10 under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Scholarship Scheme.

The initiatives launched are expected to create significant opportunities for India's youth, the PMO statement said.

By integrating education, skill development, entrepreneurship, and improved infrastructure, they aim to support a solid foundation for the country's progress.

"With a special focus on Bihar, the state is likely to develop as a centre for skilled manpower, contributing to growth both regionally and nationally," the statement said.