Prime Minister Narendra Modi today (October 4, 2025) launched multiple youth-focused initiatives worth over Rs 62,000 crore at the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. Addressing students from Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and educational institutions across Bihar and the country, the Prime Minister emphasised skill development, employment generation, and youth empowerment as national priorities.
A key highlight was the launch of the PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) scheme with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore. The initiative will modernise 1,000 ITIs across India through a hub-and-spoke model, providing advanced machinery, industry-aligned curricula, digital learning tools, and incubation facilities. The scheme aims to prepare Indian youth for current and future industry demands while strengthening their employability and entrepreneurial skills.
In a major step for school-level vocational training, the Prime Minister inaugurated 1,200 skill labs in 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools across 34 States and Union Territories. These labs will provide hands-on training in sectors including agriculture, IT, electronics, logistics, and automotive trades. Around 1,200 vocational teachers have been trained to deliver industry-relevant education, ensuring practical skill development reaches students in remote and tribal areas.
Prime Minister Modi also announced initiatives specifically for Bihar, which has one of the highest proportions of youth in India. He inaugurated the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University, launched the revamped Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana offering financial support with skill training for graduates, and unveiled the redesigned Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme providing interest-free education loans up to Rs 4 lakh. Additionally, the Bihar Yuva Ayog was inaugurated to channel the energy and talent of young citizens.
In higher education, the Prime Minister laid the foundation for new academic and research facilities in four Bihar universities, benefiting over 27,000 students. He also dedicated the Bihta campus of NIT Patna, featuring a 5G use case lab, a Regional Space Centre in collaboration with ISRO, and an Innovation and Incubation Centre supporting start-ups. More than 4,000 newly recruited government employees received appointment letters, and scholarships worth Rs 450 crore were disbursed to 25 lakh students under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Scholarship Scheme.
Emphasising the importance of skills in building a self-reliant nation, Modi noted that initiatives like PM-SETU and vocational skill labs will help create a skilled workforce, boost employment, reduce migration, and enable youth to contribute to regional and national growth. Prime Minister underlined that the focus on skill development, particularly in Bihar, will generate local employment opportunities and strengthen India’s human capital.
