THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
NEW
DELHI, JULY 7, 2026
In a major push to
strengthen India's skill development ecosystem and bridge the
industry-workforce gap, the Centre on Tuesday approved the nationwide rollout
of the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through
Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) across all 200 identified Industrial Training Institute
(ITI) clusters. The move was accompanied by the clearance of Strategic
Investment Plans (SIPs) worth ₹1,237.58
crore, with leading corporate houses, including Jindal Naveen Avsar Limited in
Odisha and
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India in Gujarat, taking the lead as Anchor Industry
Partners.
The landmark
decisions were taken at the 4th National Steering Committee (NSC) meeting of
PM-SETU, chaired by Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The meeting was attended by Dilip
Kumar, Director General, Directorate General of Training (DGT), Manasi Sahay
Thakur, Joint Secretary, senior officials from state governments, multilateral
development partners, industry representatives and other key stakeholders.
With the approval,
PM-SETU moves beyond its pilot phase into full-scale national implementation,
allowing States and Union Territories to take up projects based on their
industrial readiness and implementation capacity. The committee also approved a
series of reforms aimed at simplifying implementation, deepening industry
participation, increasing the involvement of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs),
and expanding the institutional framework supporting the programme.
The centrepiece of
the meeting was the approval of five major Strategic Investment Plans that will
transform selected ITI clusters into modern, industry-driven skill development
hubs. These investments are expected to significantly enhance training
infrastructure, align curricula with emerging industrial needs, and improve
employability among youth.
Among the approved
projects, Odisha secured one of the largest investments under the programme.
Jindal Naveen Avsar Limited will serve as the Anchor Industry Partner for an
ITI cluster led by Government ITI Barbil as the hub, with Government ITIs at
Anandapur, Koira, Karanjia and Barkote functioning as spoke institutions. The
cluster has received approval for an investment of ₹240.21 crore, which
is expected to strengthen skill development in the state's mining, metals and
manufacturing belt while creating a pipeline of industry-ready manpower.
In Gujarat,
ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India has been selected as the Anchor Industry
Partner for a ₹240.18-crore
ITI cluster centred around Government ITI Surat, with Government ITIs at
Hajira, Bardoli, Sachin and Surat (Mahila) serving as spoke institutes. The
project aims to develop a highly skilled workforce aligned with the state's
robust steel and manufacturing sectors.
Telangana emerged as
the biggest beneficiary with three approved ITI clusters. Apollo MedSkills
Limited will anchor a ₹241.01-crore
cluster led by Government ITI Old City, supported by ITIs at Warangal, Nalgonda
Boys, Vikarabad Girls and Panjaguda.
Another cluster,
headed by Government ITI Patancheru, has been approved with an investment of ₹275.24 crore, where Sri Siddharth
Infratech & Services (India) Pvt. Ltd. (SSISPL) will act as the Anchor
Industry Partner. The spoke institutions include
Government ITIs at Shadnagar, Marpally, Nalgonda (New) and Bhongir.
The third Telangana cluster will be anchored by the Neuland Foundation, which will invest ₹240.94 crore to upgrade Government ITI Sangareddy along with its spoke institutes at Hathnoora, Medak, Dubbaka and Yellareddy.
PM-SETU is one of the Government of India's flagship initiatives to modernise the country's Industrial Training Institute ecosystem through robust industry partnerships. The scheme focuses on upgrading training infrastructure, introducing future-ready curricula, strengthening industry linkages, and improving employment outcomes for students.
