PM Modi unveils initiatives worth over ₹62,000 cr for youth; Bihar in focus

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

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled various youth-focused initiatives worth more than Rs 62,000 crore, with a special emphasis on poll-bound Bihar.

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.

It envisages the upgradation of 1,000 government ITIs in a hub-and-spoke model comprising 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs.

"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," a PMO statement earlier said.

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.

Modi launched Bihar's revamped 'Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana', under which nearly five lakh graduates will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 each 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, was formally inaugurated by Modi to "channelise and harness" the potential of the state's young population, it said.

Bihar has been at the focus of several development and welfare initiatives of the NDA governments at the Centre and the state.

The prime minister also inaugurated 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.