New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched youth-focused initiatives worth over ₹62,000 crore during the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh held at Vigyan Bhawan, reaffirming the government's commitment to empowering India's young workforce through education, skilling, and entrepreneurship.

The PM unveiled the PM-SETU (Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs) scheme, a ₹60,000-crore programme to upgrade 1,000 government ITIs across the country in collaboration with industry partners and global institutions like the World Bank and ADB. The initiative aims to connect India's youth with global skill demands and strengthen industrial training for future-ready jobs.

Modi also inaugurated 1,200 vocational skill labs in Navodaya Vidyalayas and Eklavya Model Schools across 34 states and UTs, providing hands-on training in high-demand sectors such as IT, agriculture, logistics, and tourism.

In Bihar, several transformative projects were launched, including the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University, the revamped Student Credit Card Scheme offering interest-free education loans up to ₹4 lakh, and the Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana to provide ₹1,000 monthly assistance and free skill training to graduates.

Modi emphasized that “India is a nation of knowledge and skill — our intellectual strength is our greatest power.” He added that “ITIs are not only premier institutions for industrial education but also workshops for building an Atmanirbhar Bharat.”

The Prime Minister concluded, “When the strength of the youth increases, the nation grows stronger.”

Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, and other dignitaries participated in the event.