Odisha Among 3 States to Get ₹1,195 Cr ITI Upgrade Boost

16 Oct 2026, 11:25 by Vinay Kakkad · KalingaTV

New Delhi: In a major push to align vocational education with modern industrial demand, the Union government has cleared Rs 1,194.92 crore in capital commitments to overhaul 25 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) spread across Maharashtra, Odisha, and Jammu & Kashmir.

Sanctioned during the sixth National Steering Committee meeting of the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme, the greenlit proposals push cumulative investments authorized under the flagship initiative to Rs 3,687 crore.

Under the framework announced by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, the project operates via five geographic clusters located in Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Kataka, Jammu, and Srinagar. Every individual cluster is structured around a central “hub” ITI networked with four affiliated institutes, targeting comprehensive physical revamps, updated course curricula matching employer requirements, instructor upskilling, and expanded corporate integration.

Corporate partnerships anchor each regional allocation:

Pune (Maharashtra): Granted Rs 241 crore, executed alongside BVG India.
Kataka (Odisha): Allocated Rs 240.50 crore, backed by the Tata Steel Foundation.
Jammu (Jammu & Kashmir): Sanctioned Rs 240 crore in collaboration with Eagle Infra India.
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Maharashtra): Approved for Rs 238.01 crore, partnered with Belrise Industries.
Srinagar (Jammu & Kashmir): Allocated Rs 235.41 crore, tied to Inderdeep Infra India.

As reported by ANI, Highlighting the strategy behind the rollouts, Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary at the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, characterized the committee’s sanctions as a pivotal milestone for PM-SETU. She explained that the interventions will consolidate institutional capacity across the ITI network, elevate educational standards, and secure deeper corporate engagement to bridge persistent skill mismatches facing Indian youth.

Mukherjee further called on cluster leadership to benchmark operations against global benchmarks by seeking ISO certification and incorporating at least one trade or competency discipline calibrated to WorldSkills standards.

Alongside the project clearances, steering officials evaluated capacity-building metrics under the Training of Trainers initiative. National Skill Training Institutes had successfully trained 3,744 vocational instructors under the program as of October 2026.