PM launches initiatives worth over ₹62,000 crore for youth; Bihar in focus
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
| Photo Credit:
ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched various youth-focused initiatives worth more than ₹62,000 crore, with a special emphasis on poll-bound Bihar.
He launched PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a Centre sponsored scheme with an investment of ₹60,000 crore. They will be more robustly integrated with industries. Anchor Industry Partners will manage these clusters, ensuring outcome-based skilling aligned with market demand.
“India’s ITIs are not only premier institutions for industrial education but also serve as workshops for building an Atmanirbhar Bharat. The PM SETU scheme will also connect Indian youth with global skill requirements,” Modi stated. He added that the government is focused on both increasing the number of ITIs and continuously upgrading them.
“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,” an official statement added.
In the first phase of the scheme implementation, there will be a special focus on ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga in Bihar. A special emphasis of the programme will be on transformative projects in Bihar, reflecting the State’s rich legacy and youthful demographic, the statement said.
The Prime Minister inaugurated 1,200 vocational skill labs established in 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools across 34 States and Union Territories. Modi also launched Bihar’s revamped ‘Mukhyamantri Nishchay Swayam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana’, under which nearly five lakh graduates will receive a monthly allowance of ₹1,000 each for two years, along with free skill training. He also launched redesigned Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, which will provide interest-free education loans of up to ₹4 lakh, significantly easing the financial burden of higher education.
More than 3.92 lakh students have already availed loans worth more than ₹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 formally inaugurated by Modi to “channelise and harness” the potential of the State’s youth , the statement added.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University, which aims to focus on imparting industry-oriented courses and vocational education to create a globally competitive workforce.
Published on October 4, 2025
