PM-SETU scheme: upgrading and expanding ITIs; new age courses and state implementation (Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Odisha)
PM-SETU is a large, industry-linked upgrade programme for Industrial Training Institutes and National Skill Training Institutes, with state-led cluster selection and new-age courses under the Craftsmen Training Scheme.
- The Industrial Training Institute network has expanded since 2014, indicating wider institutional coverage for vocational training.
- PM-SETU combines Central, State, and industry financing, making the scheme a shared implementation model.
- State and Union Territory governments select ITIs under PM-SETU in consultation with industry, which gives the scheme a cooperative federalism dimension.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has placed PM-SETU, the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs, at the centre of its plan to modernise vocational training. The scheme matters because it links Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) more closely with industry demand, trainer capacity, and new-age trades.
The release also shows a wider expansion of the ITI network and enrolment since 2014, while leaving the actual pace of implementation to State and Union Territory governments through industry consultation and proposal-based selection.
What PM-SETU proposes
UPSC can frame PM-SETU around the design of India’s skilling ecosystem, the role of industry in curriculum and training delivery, and the implementation challenges in upgrading Industrial Training Institutes across States. The issue also connects Prelims facts on institutional architecture with Mains questions on employability, centre-state coordination, and alignment of training with local labour markets.
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