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The investment will be used to upgrade five ITI clusters in Maharashtra, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir. Tata Steel Foundation, BVG India, Belrise Industries, Eagle Infra India and Inderdeep Infra India will partner in these projects.
The five Strategic Investment Plans were approved at the sixth meeting of the National Steering Committee (NSC) of the scheme, chaired by Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). With these approvals, the total investment approved under PM-SETU has reached Rs 3,687 crore. The scheme aims to transform ITIs into modern, industry-friendly skill training institutions aligned with future requirements.
ITIs in Maharashtra, Odisha & Jammu and Kashmir to Benefit
Under the approved plans, Rs 240.50 crore has been approved for the Cuttack ITI cluster in Odisha, which will be upgraded in collaboration with Tata Steel Foundation. A plan worth Rs 241 crore has been approved for the Pune ITI cluster in Maharashtra in partnership with BVG India and BVG Foundation. Meanwhile, Rs 238.01 crore has been approved for upgrading the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar ITI cluster in collaboration with Belrise Industries.
Two ITI clusters in Jammu and Kashmir have also been included in the scheme. Investment plans worth Rs 240 crore for the Jammu ITI cluster, in partnership with Eagle Infra India, and Rs 235.41 crore for the Srinagar ITI cluster, in partnership with Inderdeep Infra India, have been approved. Each cluster will include a main institution (hub) and other ITIs connected to it (spokes).
Focus on Modern Courses & Employment-Oriented Skills
The projects will focus on modernizing ITI infrastructure, introducing courses aligned with industry requirements, improving instructors’ capabilities and strengthening partnerships with companies. The objective is to provide young people with practical, employment-oriented skills and increase their employment opportunities.
Debashree Mukherjee said these approvals would help strengthen ITIs, improve training quality and increase industry participation. She encouraged the clusters to work towards ISO certification and include at least one WorldSkills-aligned trade or skill area in their plans. She also described the progress made in Jammu and Kashmir as encouraging.
Focus on Improving ITI Training Quality, 3,744 Instructors Trained
The National Steering Committee also reviewed the progress of Training of Trainers (ToT) under Component II of the scheme. This component aims to develop a pool of industry-ready instructors equipped with technical and pedagogical competencies. According to the ministry, 3,744 instructors had been trained through National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) by October 2026.
The investment and instructor capacity-building initiatives under PM-SETU are focused on improving training systems in ITIs and preparing young people to meet changing industrial requirements.
