Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the government’s ambitious goal to upgrade 1,000 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the country to boost skill development and youth employment. The announcement was made at a ceremony in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, where PM Modi launched youth-focused initiatives worth over Rs 62,000 crore. The centrepiece is the PM-SETHU (Pradhan Mantri Skill Enhancement and Transformation of Harnessing Unemployment) scheme, a centrally sponsored project with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore specifically for ITI modernization. In addition to upgrading ITIs, the Prime Minister inaugurated 1,200 skill development labs established across 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools. The transfer of Rs 450 crore in scholarships to 25 lakh students under the CM’s Children’s Scholarship scheme.