The North New
New Delhi, October 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a series of initiatives worth more than ₹62,000 crore on Friday, aimed at expanding education, skill development and entrepreneurship across India. The event, to be held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, will also feature the fourth edition of the National Skill Convocation — Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh — where 46 top performers from Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) under the Ministry of Skill Development will be honoured.
The centrepiece of the programme will be PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a centrally sponsored scheme with an outlay of ₹60,000 crore. The plan will modernise 1,000 government ITIs under a hub-and-spoke model — with 200 hub ITIs and 800 spokes — to strengthen digital learning, incubation, placement services and industry partnerships. Clusters will be managed by anchor industry partners, with co-financing support from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The first phase will place particular emphasis on upgrading ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga.
Modi will inaugurate 1,200 vocational skill labs in 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools across 34 states and union territories. These labs, covering sectors such as IT, agriculture, logistics, electronics and tourism, will align with the National Education Policy 2020 and CBSE curriculum. About 1,200 teachers will be trained to deliver industry-relevant courses.
The Bihar will receive particular attention, with the relaunch of the Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana, offering nearly five lakh graduate youth a monthly allowance of ₹1,000 for two years along with free skill training. The state’s Student Credit Card Scheme has been redesigned to provide interest-free loans of up to ₹4 lakh for higher education. So far, over 3.92 lakh students have accessed loans worth more than ₹7,880 crore. In addition, Modi will inaugurate the Bihar Yuva Ayog, a statutory commission for citizens aged 18 to 45, to promote youth participation in development.
The Prime Minister will also open the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University, which will provide industry-oriented courses for a globally competitive workforce.
Under the PM-USHA (Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan), new academic and research facilities will be established at Patna University, Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University in Madhepura, Jai Prakash Vishwavidyalaya in Chapra and Nalanda Open University. The projects, worth ₹160 crore, are expected to benefit more than 27,000 students with upgraded hostels, laboratories and multi-disciplinary learning opportunities.
Modi will dedicate the new Bihta campus of NIT Patna, designed for 6,500 students. The facility will host a 5G lab, an ISRO-linked Regional Academic Centre for Space, and an Innovation and Incubation Centre that has already supported nine start-ups.
The Prime Minister will also hand out appointment letters to more than 4,000 newly recruited candidates in Bihar. Scholarships worth ₹450 crore will be released through Direct Benefit Transfer to 25 lakh students of Classes 9 and 10 under the Mukhyamantri Balak and Balika Scholarship Scheme.
Officials say the measures will provide a major boost to India’s demographic dividend by expanding opportunities in education, training and employment. With Bihar at the heart of the initiative, the state is expected to emerge as a hub of skilled manpower, contributing to national growth.
