Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that strengthening India’s youth is essential for national growth, launching youth-focused initiatives worth over Rs 62,000 crore aimed at skill development, employment, and education.
Addressing the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Modi said, “When the strength of the youth increases, the nation grows stronger,” highlighting the pivotal role of young Indians in driving economic progress and social development.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the Rs 60,000 crore PM-Setu scheme, which will upgrade more than 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across India with modern machinery, industry-aligned curricula, and expert trainers. Modi said the initiative will connect India’s youth to both national and global skill demands. He also announced the launch of 1,200 skill labs across Navodaya Vidyalayas and Eklavya Model Schools.
Modi emphasised that ITIs now train students in nearly 170 trades, and over the past 11 years, more than 1.5 crore youth have acquired technical qualifications. “India’s ITIs are not only premier institutions of industrial education but also serve as workshops for building an Atmanirbhar Bharat,” he said.
Bihar was highlighted as a case study for youth empowerment. The state has received a new Skill University named after Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur. Modi praised Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s administration for expanding educational infrastructure, issuing interest-free student loans, increasing scholarships, and creating permanent government jobs, with more than 10 lakh youth employed in recent years.
The Prime Minister also noted modernisation efforts across IIT Patna, NIT Patna’s Bihta campus, Patna University, Bhupendra Mandal University, Jai Prakash University, and Nalanda Open University, designed to reduce migration for education and employment and provide opportunities locally.
Modi highlighted India’s broader economic progress, citing growth in manufacturing, exports, and employment in sectors such as electronics, mobile phones, automobiles, and defence. He underlined that schemes like Mudra and the newly announced Rs 1 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana aim to create jobs for 3.5 crore youth in the private sector.
The Prime Minister praised students from rural areas, daughters, and Divyang participants for excelling in the All India Trade Test, noting that skill, innovation, and hard work are central to nation-building. He reaffirmed that India’s intellectual and technical strength is its greatest asset, and aligning local skills with national priorities multiplies their impact on growth and development. |
