PM Modi Lauds Nitish-Led NDA for Tackling Migration, Unveils ₹62,000 Cr Youth-Focused Projects in Bihar

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the Nitish Kumar-led NDA administration for rectifying the migration situation and putting the state on a path to progress, blaming the "devastated state of education" under RJD control as a primary cause of the mass exodus from Bihar.

According to PTI, Modi made a subtle jab at Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Congress party, who is frequently praised by his party members as "Jan Nayak," an honorific associated with revered OBC leader and former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, while speaking at the launch of several youth education and skill-building initiatives, including several projects for the state that is headed for elections.

Without mentioning Gandhi, Modi stated that the people of Bihar should be on the lookout for attempts by those to "steal" the honour that has long been associated with Thakur.

Last year, the Modi administration presented the late OBC leader with the Bharat Ratna.

More than Rs 62,000 crore worth of youth-focused projects were also unveiled by Modi, with a focus on Bihar, which is anticipated to have elections by the end of October or early November.

With an investment of Rs 60,000 crore, Modi introduced PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a centrally supported program.

Modi praised Chief Minister Kumar and added that the Bihar government has made new commitments for the state's progress, including doubling the number of people employed in the next five years as opposed to the previous 20.

PTI reported that with the topic of migration getting attention during the current assembly election campaign, he stated that the goal is to guarantee that young people from Bihar are employed within the state.

Reviving a tree with infested roots is a difficult task, Modi said, comparing the state of Bihar under the opposition's poor leadership to that of a tree.

He said that the "entire team of the coalition government worked collectively to restore the derailed systems," and that thankfully, the people of Bihar trusted Kumar with the task of governing.

Modi claimed that this generation might not really understand how the Bihar school system was destroyed two and a half decades ago, even though thousands of young people from Bihar took part in the program.

Every parent wants their child to learn and develop locally, he underlined.  However, thousands of children were forced to relocate from Bihar to cities like Banaras, Delhi, and Mumbai.  This, he determined, was the real start of migration.

He praised the state's NDA government for its efforts to bring about a change, saying, "It is pretty hard to restore a tree whose roots are rotting, and this was the state of Bihar during the RJD rule."

"India is among the world's youngest nations, and Bihar is one of the states with the highest proportion of youth... Compared to the Opposition government in the past, Bihar’s education budget has been increased manifold.

"Today, nearly every village and hamlet in Bihar has a school, and the number of engineering and medical colleges has also grown significantly. There was a time when Bihar lacked international-level sports infrastructure, but today, national and international sports events are being held in the state,” he said.

The prime minister said India's ITIs are not only an important centre for industrial education but also serve as workshops for 'aatmanirbhar Bharat'.

“The government is focused on both increasing the number of ITIs and continuously upgrading them. Until 2014, there were only 10,000 ITIs in the country, but in the past decade, nearly 5,000 new ITIs have been established.

"The ITI network is being prepared to meet current industry skill requirements and anticipate future demands over the next ten years," he said.

On the occasion, Modi launched PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a centrally sponsored scheme with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore.

It envisages the upgradation of 1,000 government ITIs in a hub-and-spoke model comprising 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs.

Modi also launched Bihar's revamped 'Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana', under which nearly five lakh graduates will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 each for two years, along with free skill training.

He launched the redesigned Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, which will provide interest-free education loans of up to Rs 4 lakh, significantly easing the financial burden of higher education.

The prime minister also inaugurated the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University, which has been envisioned to impart industry-oriented courses and vocational education to create a globally competitive workforce.

“Bharat Ratna Karpoori Thakur Ji devoted his entire life to social service and the advancement of education... The skill university being established in his name will serve as a powerful means to carry forward that vision,” he said.

PTI reported that Modi emphasised that India is a country of knowledge and talent, and that this intellectual prowess is its greatest advantage. He said that when knowledge and skills are in line with national needs and help to meet them, their influence increases significantly.

He added that there is a need to quickly develop local talent, resources, skills, and knowledge in line with the needs of the nation in the twenty-first century.

The prime minister dedicated the NIT-Patna campus in Bihta to the country.  Featuring cutting-edge facilities such as a 5G use case lab, a Regional Academic Centre for Space created in partnership with ISRO, and an Innovation and Incubation Centre that has already assisted nine start-ups, the campus can accommodate 6,500 students.

He also distributed appointment letters to more than 4,000 newly recruited candidates in the Bihar government and released Rs 450 crore in scholarships to 25 lakh students of classes 9 and 10 under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Scholarship Scheme