SRINAGAR: Jammu and Srinagar projects to cover 10 government ITIs; national panel clears Rs 1,194.92 crore for five clusters across three states and UTs
The Centre has approved investments totalling Rs 475.41 crore to upgrade two Industrial Training Institute (ITI) clusters in Jammu and Kashmir under the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) scheme, with projects in Jammu and Srinagar to be implemented in partnership with private companies.
The National Steering Committee (NSC) approved Rs 240 crore for the Jammu ITI cluster in partnership with Eagle Infra India Limited and Rs 235.41 crore for the Srinagar cluster in partnership with Inderdeep Infra India Limited at its sixth meeting held in New Delhi on Friday.
The approvals form part of five Strategic Investment Plans worth Rs 1,194.92 crore cleared for ITI clusters across Maharashtra, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir. With the latest decisions, the cumulative investment approved under PM-SETU has reached Rs 3,687 crore, according to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
The Jammu cluster will have Government ITI Jammu as its hub, with Government ITIs at R S Pura, Nowshera, Samba and Kathua as the four spokes.
Similarly, Government ITI Srinagar will serve as the hub for the Srinagar cluster, which will include Government ITIs at Ganderbal, Kangan, Budgam and Charar-i-Sharief as spokes.
The projects are intended to modernise training infrastructure, introduce industry-aligned courses, strengthen trainers’ capabilities and improve links between ITIs and employers, with the stated aim of improving employment opportunities for young people.
The meeting was chaired by Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. Senior ministry officials, representatives of the Directorate General of Training, state and Union Territory governments, industry partners and multilateral development banks also attended.
Mukherjee said the approvals would help strengthen ITIs, improve training standards and increase industry participation. She encouraged the clusters to pursue ISO certification and include at least one WorldSkills-aligned trade or competency area in their approved implementation plans.
She also described the progress made by Jammu and Kashmir as encouraging, saying it reflected a commitment to strengthening skill development and expanding opportunities for young people in the region.
The other three approved projects include Rs 240.50 crore for the Kataka ITI cluster in Odisha, in partnership with Tata Steel Foundation; Rs 241 crore for the Pune cluster in Maharashtra, to be implemented by BVG India Limited in consortium with BVG Foundation; and Rs 238.01 crore for the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar cluster in Maharashtra, in partnership with Belrise Industries Limited.
Separately, the committee reviewed progress under the scheme’s Training of Trainers component, which seeks to develop instructors with contemporary technical and teaching skills. As of October 2026, a total of 3,744 trainers had been trained through National Skill Training Institutes, the ministry said.
