Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India] August 30 (ANI): The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Government of India, in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday organized the PM-SETU Industry Conclave in Lucknow, bringing together senior representatives from government, industry, multilateral institutions, defence public sector enterprises, sector skill councils and skilling stakeholders to deliberate on strengthening industry participation in vocational education and transforming Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) into world-class centres of excellence.
The conclave was graced by Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary, Deputy Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh, Brajesh Pathak and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Vocational Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Kapil Dev Agarwal. Senior officials from the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Directorate General of Training (DGT), Ministry of Defence, Government of Uttar Pradesh and industry leaders participated in the discussions.
The event witnessed participation from senior leadership of leading defence and manufacturing organizations including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL), BrahMos Aerospace, Troop Comforts Limited (TCL), Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL), Gliders India Limited (GIL), Ashok Leyland, NSDC, TCIL, PTC, along with representatives from the World Bank, industry associations and other strategic stakeholders.
Addressing the gathering, Rajnath Singh emphasized that India's journey towards becoming a global manufacturing and technology powerhouse would be driven by the availability of highly skilled manpower. He highlighted that sectors such as defence manufacturing, aerospace, electronics, drones, robotics, precision engineering and automation are witnessing rapid technological advancements and require a workforce equipped with future-ready skills. He underscored that a strong domestic defence industrial base and a strong skilling ecosystem must grow together to support India's aspirations for self-reliance and technological leadership.
The Defence Minister highlighted Uttar Pradesh's emergence as a major hub for manufacturing and defence production, driven by the rapid growth of its industrial ecosystem and the Defence Corridor. Emphasizing the importance of stronger industry-academia linkages, he noted that collaboration between industry and training institutions is crucial to equip youth with future-ready skills and expressed confidence that such partnerships would steer the state in the right direction.
He further remarked that under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh is witnessing transformative development across multiple sectors.
Stressing that the availability of a skilled workforce is fundamental to nation-building, he reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of converting India's demographic dividend into a productive dividend.
Rajnath Singh underscored the need to align the skilling ecosystem with industry requirements, stating that skill certificates hold value only when they lead to meaningful employment. Calling upon industries to view PM-SETU as a collaborative mission rather than merely a government scheme, he urged them to actively participate in shaping the workforce that will ultimately serve their own growth and competitiveness.
The Defence Minister appealed to Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) and other defence-related organizations to actively partner in the PM-SETU initiative, while also stressing the need to transform ITIs and strengthen apprenticeship opportunities.
Concluding, he stated that the success of PM-SETU should be measured not by the number of machines installed, but by the employment opportunities it creates and the lives it positively impacts.
Speaking on the occasion, Jayant Chaudhary said that PM-SETU represents a new partnership model between government, industry and training institutions. He emphasized that the initiative is designed to bridge the gap between training and employment by enabling industries to play an active role in the development, governance and operation of ITI clusters.
Jayant Chaudhary highlighted that the programme aims to create a future-ready workforce through industry-aligned training, modern infrastructure, apprenticeship opportunities and pathways for entrepreneurship.
Underscoring the strategic importance of the defence sector in achieving global competitiveness, he highlighted that the industry's reliance on technology and innovation makes this scheme both timely and relevant. He called upon industries to go beyond CSR initiatives and take active ownership of ITIs to strengthen the skilling landscape. (ANI)
From ITIs to Industry: Rajnath Singh calls on industry to make PM-SETU a collaborative mission for India's future workforce
