PM Modi Announces Rs 1,000 Monthly Allowance for 5 Lakh Graduates in Bihar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to unveil a comprehensive package of youth-focused initiatives totalling over Rs 62,000 crore on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Vigyan Bhawan, emphasising skill development, education, and entrepreneurship nationwide. The announcements, timed ahead of Bihar's assembly elections next month, place special emphasis on the state, aiming to empower its 18-45 age group through targeted welfare and infrastructure projects.

This move aligns with the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) strategy to consolidate support among Bihar's youthful demographic, which constitutes over 60% of voters, amid competition from the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

Central to the event is the launch of PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a Rs 60,000 crore centrally sponsored scheme to modernise 1,000 government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in a hub-and-spoke model. This includes 200 hub ITIs equipped with advanced infrastructure, digital learning, incubation centres, and industry-managed training, connected to 800 spoke ITIs for broader access.

Supported by global financing from the World Bank and Asian Development Bank, the initiative will create market-aligned clusters with anchor industry partners, focusing initially on ITIs in Patna and Darbhanga in Bihar. Additionally, Modi will inaugurate 1,200 vocational skill labs in 400 Navodaya Vidyalayas and 200 Eklavya Model Residential Schools across 34 states, training students in high-demand sectors like IT, agriculture, and tourism, while certifying 1,200 vocational teachers under the National Education Policy 2020.

Bihar-specific measures underscore the event's electoral context, with Modi set to revamp the Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana, providing Rs 1,000 monthly aid for two years to nearly five lakh graduates annually, coupled with free skill training. He will also redesign the Bihar Student Credit Card Scheme, offering interest-free loans up to Rs 4 lakh—benefiting over 3.92 lakh students with Rs 7,880 crore already disbursed—and inaugurate the Bihar Yuva Ayog, a statutory youth commission.

Other highlights include the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University for vocational courses, foundation stones for academic facilities at four Bihar universities under PM-USHA (Rs 160 crore investment for 27,000 students), and the Bihta campus of NIT Patna, featuring a 5G lab and ISRO collaboration.

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The programme will culminate in distributing appointment letters to over 4,000 Bihar government recruits and Rs 450 crore in scholarships via Direct Benefit Transfer to 25 lakh Class 9-10 students. The fourth Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh will honour 46 ITI toppers. These efforts, building on Modi's vision for a skilled India, are projected to foster employability and innovation, positioning Bihar as a manpower hub.

As polls near, the initiatives could sway young voters in a state where unemployment hovers at 7.6%, per recent NSSO data, reinforcing NDA's development narrative against rivals' promises.

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