New Delhi, October 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while launching various youth-centric schemes worth over Rs 62,000 crore on Saturday, said that the NDA government is committed to ensuring that the youth of Bihar will now find respectable employment in their own state and that the era of migration will end.
He said that once, due to lack of education and employment, millions of youth had to leave Bihar for other states, but today the state has entered a new era of development.
Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the National Skills Convocation held at Vigyan Bhawan here. On this occasion, he honored 46 top students from Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the country. Modi said that this ceremony symbolizes giving new prestige to skill development in India.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal and Rojgar Parivartan (PM-SETU) scheme, under which 1,000 ITIs across the country will be upgraded to a hub-and-spoke model with an investment of ₹60,000 crore. This model will include 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs, providing modern infrastructure, digital learning systems, and incubation facilities. Modi said, “PM-SETU will connect India’s youth with global skill demand.”
He explained that ITIs across the country are currently offering training in 170 trades, and over 15 million youth have received skill training in the last 11 years. The Prime Minister said that by 2014, there were 10,000 ITIs in the country, while 5,000 more have been established in the last decade.
In his speech, Prime Minister Modi made special mention of Bihar, saying that Bihar’s youth population is the country’s strength.
He added that as the potential of Bihar’s youth increases, India’s strength also increases. Modi recalled that two decades ago, Bihar’s education system had completely collapsed—neither schools were open nor recruitments were taking place. This forced millions of children to migrate to Varanasi, Delhi, and Mumbai. He said that the RJD’s misrule had eroded Bihar’s roots.
Prime Minister said that the NDA government under Nitish Kumar’s leadership has brought those deteriorated systems back on track. Today, Bihar’s education budget has increased manifold, schools have opened in every village, and more than 250,000 teachers have been appointed in the last two years. He said that now our goal is to ensure that Bihar’s youth find employment within Bihar.
Prime Minister launched several new schemes and projects for Bihar, including the Chief Minister’s Self-Help Allowance Scheme and the Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme. Under these schemes, five lakh young graduates will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 and free skill training for two years. The credit card scheme will provide students with interest-free education loans of up to Rs 4 lakh.
Prime Minister also inaugurated the Bihar Youth Commission and the Jan Nayak Karpuri Thakur Skill University. The university will develop a globally skilled workforce through industry-oriented courses.
He also laid the foundation stone for new academic and research facilities at four universities in Bihar—Patna University, Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University (Madhepura), Jaiprakash University (Chhapra), and Nalanda Open University (Patna)—under the PM-USHA (Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan) scheme.
During his address, Prime Minister Modi made a special mention of Bharat Ratna Jananayak Karpuri Thakur, noting that he dedicated his life to the upliftment of the most vulnerable sections of society. Karpoori Thakur was not made a people’s leader by social media trolls, but by the people of Bihar. Modi warned the people of Bihar that some people are trying to usurp the title of “people’s leader.” Therefore, the people of Bihar should be vigilant so that no one steals this honor bestowed upon Karpoori Thakur by the people. The Prime Minister said that the Karpoori Thakur Skill University, to be built in his name, will serve as a medium to further his dreams of expanding education and serving society.
Modi also inaugurated 1,200 vocational skills laboratories in 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Residential Schools across 34 states and union territories. These laboratories will train students in fields such as IT, automotive, agriculture, electronics, logistics, and tourism.
He also dedicated the Bihta campus of NIT Patna to the nation, which includes facilities such as a 5G Use Case Lab, a Regional Space Educational Center in collaboration with ISRO, and an Innovation and Incubation Hub.
At the event, the Prime Minister distributed appointment letters to over 4,000 newly appointed candidates of the Bihar government, and also transferred direct scholarship benefits worth ₹450 crore to 2.5 million students in grades 9 and 10.
Prime Minister noted that before 2014, India was considered a fragile economy, but today, India is moving towards becoming one of the top three economies in the world.
He noted that the country is currently celebrating GST savings, and the youth of Bihar are extremely happy with the reduction in GST on bikes and scooters.
He stated that the progress of youth is the progress of India. That is why the government is moving towards a ‘developed India’ by integrating education, skills, and employment.