New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: National Steering Committee Friday approved an investment of Rs 1,194.92 crore for ugrading Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) clusters across Odisha, Maharashtra, and Jammu and Kashmir under the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme.
With the approval, the cumulative investment cleared under the PM-SETU so far, has touched the Rs 3,687-crore mark.
This represents another significant milestone in the Union government’s efforts to transform ITIs into modern, industry-aligned and future-ready skill institutions, according to an official statement.
The five strategic investment plans that have been approved will be implemented through partnerships between state governments, industry partners and participating ITIs under the PM-SETU framework.
The projects will focus on modernising infrastructure, introducing industry-aligned courses, strengthening trainer capacity, enhancing industry engagement and improving employability outcomes for youth.
The plans include an investment of Rs 240.50 crore for upgrading the Kataka ITI cluster in Odisha in partnership with Tata Steel Foundation.
The cluster comprises Government ITI Kataka as the hub and Madhusudan Government ITI Choudwar, Government ITI Paradeep, Government ITI Jajpur and Government ITI Dhenkanal as spokes.
The project aims to strengthen infrastructure, introduce new-age training programmes and enhance industry linkages to meet the emerging skill requirements of the region.
The second strategic investment plan worth Rs 241 crore covers the Pune ITI cluster in Maharashtra to be implemented by BVG India Limited, in consortium with BVG Foundation while the third plan entailing an investment of Rs 238.01 crore covers the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar ITI cluster in Maharashtra in partnership with Belrise Industries Limited.
The fourth strategic investment plan worth Rs 238.01 crore is for the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar ITI cluster in Maharashtra in partnership with Belrise Industries Limited.
The fifth plan provides an outlay of Rs 240 crore for the Jammu ITI cluster in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in partnership with Eagle Infra India Limited.
The cluster comprises Government ITI Jammu as the hub and Government ITI R.S. Pura, Government ITI Nowshera, Government ITI Samba and Government ITI Kathua as spokes.
The National Steering Committee also reviewed the progress under the Training of Trainers (ToT) under component II of PM-SETU scheme, which aims to build a robust pool of industry-ready instructors equipped with contemporary technical and pedagogical competencies.
As of October 2026, 3,744 trainers have been trained under the programme through National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs).
The 6th National Steering Committee (NSC) PM-SETU meeting was held under the chairpersonship of Debashree Mukherjee, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) Secretary.
Mukherjee said, “The approvals given by the National Steering Committee are an important step in implementing PM-SETU. They will help strengthen ITIs, improve training and increase industry participation. We encourage clusters to work towards ISO certification and include at least one WorldSkills-aligned trade or competency area in their Approved Implementation Plans. Our aim is to improve training quality and help young people gain skills that lead to better employment opportunities. The progress made by Jammu and Kashmir is encouraging and reflects a strong commitment to strengthening skilling and expanding opportunities for youth in the region.”
The meeting was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), along with representatives from the Directorate General of Training (DGT), state governments and Union Territories, industry partners, multilateral development banks, and other stakeholders associated with the implementation of PM-SETU.
IANS
