Karnataka Sets ₹241 Crore PM-SETU Plan to Upgrade 48 ITIs

Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil on Friday urged public and private sector companies to actively participate in the PM-SETU scheme, which aims to upgrade 48 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the state and strengthen industry-oriented skill development.

Patil made the appeal during a meeting with representatives of leading companies to discuss industry participation in the effective implementation of the scheme. Skill Development Minister Sharan Prakash Patil also attended the meeting.

The PM-SETU scheme will follow a hub-and-spoke model, with four ITIs attached to each hub. Karnataka has 12 hubs covering 48 ITIs. One hub each has been selected in Bengaluru Urban and Kalaburagi, with the industries in these regions being encouraged to actively participate.

An Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) will be constituted to oversee implementation, with six industry representatives serving as members. Companies can also participate through their CSR divisions, foundations and other entities. Firms with an annual turnover of at least Rs 500 crore and more than 1,000 employees will be eligible.

Under the partnership, industries can contribute to designing curricula, training programmes and skill-development frameworks based on their workforce requirements, Patil said.

In Bengaluru Urban, Peenya ITI will function as the hub, while ITIs at Tumakuru Road, Domlur, Hosur Road and Devanahalli will serve as spokes. In North Karnataka, Kalaburagi Government ITI for Boys will be the hub, with institutions at Sedam, Afzalpur, Jewargi and Kalaburagi Government ITI for Women forming the spoke network.

The Centre will contribute Rs 112 crore, while the Karnataka government will provide Rs 98 crore and the industrial sector Rs 31 crore towards the initiative.

Sharan Prakash Patil said Karnataka has 270 government ITIs and indicated that industries willing to adopt ITIs would be permitted to do so.

Representatives from Boeing, Biocon, Jindal, Toyota, Lenskart, Autoliv, Centum and NTTF participated in the meeting.