Kolkata: State higher education minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay on Friday inaugurated the PM-SETU scheme, which aims to upgrade 51 ITIs to provide skill development training and make students industry-ready.
The Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme was introduced in 2024-25 as a Rs 60,000 crore initiative to transform 1,000 industrial training institutes into industry-aligned skill centres.
The initiative utilises an industry-led hub-and-spoke model to boost youth employability, meet the demands of modern technology sectors and ensure students are job-ready. Chattopadhyay stated that under this initiative, the central and state govts will jointly spend around Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 crore over the next five years to provide technical training to students.
He said, "The previous state govt rejected the scheme simply because the term ‘PM' appeared in its name. Our goal is to transform the state, which is currently known for migrant labours, into a state of employment opportunities by introducing such initiatives."
The minister also stated that the BJP-led govt will not adopt a "speed-breaker" attitude, ensuring that the people of Bengal are not deprived of the benefits of central schemes. Chattopadhyay shared these updates while participating in a workshop held at Milan Mela Prangan with industry representatives and officials from the department of technical education.