PM-SETU bets ₹6,000 cr on ITI skilling. Will it deliver jobs?

2026-02-06 - 08:15

According to a 2023 NITI Aayog report, the government incurs an annual public expenditure of around ₹10,000 crore to operate the ecosystem of around 3,500 government ITIs, in addition to ₹2,200 crore spent under the Skill Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement (STRIVE) scheme, which ended in 2024. It says that despite this substantial investment, placement outcomes remain extremely poor: only 405 candidates were placed out of 4,14,247 trained, translating to a placement rate of just 0.09 per cent.