The Centre has approved Strategic Investment Plans worth ₹1,237.58 crore under PM-SETU and expanded the skilling programme beyond its pilot phase to all 200 identified ITI clusters across the country. According to reports from The Business Bytes, the approvals were cleared at the fourth meeting of the national steering committee under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), chaired by Secretary Debashree Mukherjee. The nationwide rollout will be taken up by states and union territories based on implementation readiness and the availability of industry partners. 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.
The committee approved five ITI clusters across Odisha, Gujarat, and Telangana, with private sector firms selected as anchor industry partners to implement the projects. In Odisha, Government ITI Barbil has been designated as the hub institute, with Government ITIs at Anandapur, Koira, Karanjia and Barkote serving as spoke institutes. Jindal Naveen Awasar Limited will anchor a ₹240.21 crore cluster with a proposed investment of ₹240.21 crore. In Gujarat, Government ITI Surat will serve as the hub institute, supported by Government ITIs at Hajira, Bardoli, Sachin and Surat (Mahila). ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India has been selected as the Anchor Industry Partner, with a proposed investment of ₹240.18 crore. Telangana accounts for the remaining three projects, with the first cluster having Government ITI Old City as the hub linked to Government ITIs at Warangal, Nalgonda Boys, Vikarabad Girls and Panjaguda, where Apollo MedSkills Limited will serve as the Anchor Industry Partner with an investment of ₹241.01 crore. The second cluster comprises Government ITI Patancheru as the hub, linked to Government ITIs at Shadnagar, Marpally, Nalgonda (New) and Bhongir, where Sri Siddharth Infratech & Services (India) Pvt. Ltd. (SSISPL) has been selected as the Anchor Industry Partner, with a proposed investment of ₹275.24 crore. The third cluster will have Government ITI Sangareddy as the hub, supported by Government ITIs at Hathnoora, Medak, Dubbaka and Yellareddy, where Neuland Foundation has been chosen as the Anchor Industry Partner, with a proposed investment of ₹240.94 crore.
The committee also approved changes to the implementation framework, including measures to simplify project execution, encourage greater participation by industry and public sector undertakings, and broaden the institutional framework supporting the scheme. As reported by The Business Bytes, PM-SETU was announced to facilitate modernisation of government ITIs through partnerships with industry, with participating firms expected to support infrastructure upgrades, curriculum development, and training aligned with industry requirements. The scheme focuses on upgrading training infrastructure, introducing future-ready curricula, strengthening industry linkages, and improving employment outcomes for students.
PM-SETU received Union Cabinet approval in May 2025 after being announced in the Union Budget for 2024-25. The scheme aims to upgrade 1,000 government ITIs through 200 hub-and-spoke clusters with industry participation. The scheme has a total outlay of ₹60,000 crore over five years, with the Centre contributing ₹30,000 crore, states contributing ₹20,000 crore and industry contributing ₹10,000 crore. The scheme received its first budgetary allocation of ₹6,140.50 crore in the Union Budget 2026-27 for its implementation, as reported by The Business Bytes. 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.
