Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday expressed gratitude to the Central government for approving Rs 475.41 crore under the PM-SETU scheme to upgrade key ITI clusters across Jammu and Kashmir.

PM-SETU, or Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs, is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to modernise Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) and align vocational education with needs of the modern industry.

"Chief Minister has expressed gratitude to Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) and Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Jayant Singh) for approving Strategic Investment Plans (SIPs) worth Rs 475.41 crore under PM-SETU to upgrade key ITI clusters across Jammu and Kashmir," the Chief Minister's Office said in a post on X.

The CMO said that under the initiative, the Jammu ITI cluster comprising ITI Jammu as hub and R S Pura, Nowshera, Samba and Kathua as spokes will be upgraded with an investment of Rs 240 crore.

Similarly, the Srinagar ITI cluster with ITI Srinagar as hub along with Ganderbal, Kangan, Budgam, and Charar-i-Sharief as spokes will be modernised with an investment of Rs 235.41 crore.

"The chief minister said the initiative will modernise training infrastructure, strengthen industry linkages and equip Jammu and Kashmir's youth with job-ready skills and better employment opportunities," the CMO said.

This report was published from a wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.