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Text of Media Statement by PM in Astana, Kazakhstan

Published By : Admin | July 8, 2015 | 14:29 IST
QuotePM Modi congratulates people of Kazakhstan on occasion of 550th anniversary of the Kazakh Khanate & 20th anniversary of their Constitution
QuoteIndia expands civil nuclear cooperation with Kazakhstan
QuoteIndia-Kazakhstan deepen defence and security cooperation

His Excellency President Nursultan Nazarbayev,

Members of the media,

İ am delighted to visit this beautiful country. It has been a short but a memorable and rewarding visit.

I would like to express my deep gratitude to President Nazarbayev and the people of Kazakhstan for the exceptional welcome and hospitality.

Excellency, I congratulate you once again on your 75th birthday. I wish you great health and a long life of service for your country and humanity.

Mr. President, your leadership is deeply admired. You have put Kazakhstan on the path of rapid progress. You have also played a stellar role in regional and global affairs.

I congratulate the people of Kazakhstan on the ocassion of 550th anniversary of the Kazakh Khanate and 20th anniversary of the Constitution of Kazakhstan.



I also learnt that this beautiful new capital is still celebrating Astana Day.

So, this is really a good time to visit Kazakhstan.

Last evening I spoke about my vision for India's relations with Central Asia. Kazakhstan will play a critical role in advancing this vision.

We greatly value our relationship with Kazakhstan. We have enormous synergies of markets, resources and skills for a strong bilateral relationship. We discovered remarkable convergence in our economic policies, approaches and strategies in a number of areas.

We have shared perspectives on many international issues, including regional peace, connectivity and integration; reforms in the United Nations; and, combating terrorism.

Kazakhstan is our biggest economic partner in the region. But, our relations are modest, compared to our potential. We will work together to take economic ties to a new level.

Kazaksthan was one of the first countries with which we launched civil nuclear cooperation through a uranium purchase contract. We are pleased to have a much larger second contract now.

We intend to expand cooperation in other minerals, as well.

Hydrocarbons is another area of high priority for us. Last evening, we launched the drilling operations for exploration in the first oil field with Indian investments in Kazakhstan.

I am pleased that President Nazarbayev responded positively to my request to consider additional mature blocks for Indian investments.

We will also give priority to investment in both directions in manufacturing and infrastructure. I was very encouraged by the interaction at the business roundtable yesterday that I chaired with Prime Minister Massimov.

We expect a new roadmap for cooperation from the joint business council of our chambers of commerce and industry.



Kazakhstan's Green Bridge Vision is similar to India's ambitious plan of adding 175 GW of renewable energy in the next seven years. This is another priority area of cooperation, including in the manufacture of equipment. In adddition, India will participate on a large scale in the Expo 2017 in Astana.

We will also enhance cooperation in Space and Information Technology, including their application for governance and development.

We both agree that connectivity is an important issue, but one that we will address.

The International North South Transport Corridor, the Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan rail link, India's interest in joining the Ashkabat Agreement on trade and transit and India's investment in Chahbahar Port in Iran will strengthen connectivity.

The joint study group on India's proposal for a Free Trade Agreement with Eurasian Economic Union is a step towards our closer economic integration.

Development of human resources is a priority for both countries. Yesterday, I inaugurated the India-Kazakhstan Centre of Excellence in Information & Communication Technologies at the Eurasian National University. We are pleased to have contributed a super computer from India.

Consistent with our focus on youth, we have launched a new youth exchange programme with six Kazakh universities for the next five years.

Our defence and security cooperation is an important dimension of our strategic partnership. We both want to make it stronger, including in defence manufacturing. We welcome the new Memorandum of Understanding on defence cooperation.



President and I agreed on the pressing need for reforms of the United Nations and its Security Council. I thank him for Kazakhstan’s continued support for India’s candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed United Nation's Security Council and for a UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.

I reiterated India’s support for Kazakhstan’s candidature for a non-permanent seat in the UNSC for 2017-18.

I am also grateful to him and the people of Kzakhstan for the support in making the International Day of Yoga on June 21st a huge global success

Mr. President, thank you for a very productive and pleasant visit. I feel that this visit has opened the door to a much broader and deeper relationship, including many new areas of productive cooperation.

I have extended an invitation to President Nazarbayev and look forward to receiving him in India.

Thank you.

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Cabinet approves National Scheme for ITI Upgradation and Setting up of 5 National COE for Skilling
May 07, 2025

In a major step towards transforming vocational education in India, the Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved the National Scheme for Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Upgradation and the Setting up of five (5) National Centres of Excellence for Skilling as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

National Scheme for Industrial Training Institute (ITI) Upgradation and Setting up of five (5) National Centres of Excellence (NCOE) for Skilling will be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme as per announcement, made under Budget 2024-25 and Budget 2025-26 with outlay of Rs.60,000 crore (Central Share: Rs.30,000 crore, State Share: Rs.20,000 crore and Industry Share: Rs.10,000 crore), with co-financing to the extent of 50% of Central share by the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank, equally.

The scheme will focus on upgradation of 1,000 Government ITIs in hub and spoke arrangement with industry aligned revamped trades (courses) and Capacity Augmentation of five (5) National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs), including setting up of five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling in these institutes.

The Scheme aims to position existing ITIs as government-owned, industry-managed aspirational institutes of skills, in collaboration with State Governments and industry. Over a five-year period, 20 lakh youth will be skilled through courses that address the human capital needs of industries. The scheme will focus on ensuring alignment between local workforce supply and industry demand, thereby facilitating industries, including MSMEs, in accessing employment-ready workers.

The financial assistance provided under various schemes in the past was suboptimal to meet the full upgradation needs of ITIs, particularly in addressing growing investment requirements for infrastructure upkeep, capacity expansion, and the introduction of capital-intensive, new-age trades. To overcome this, a need-based investment provision has been kept under the proposed scheme, allowing flexibility in fund allocation based on the specific infrastructure, capacity, and trade-related requirements of each institution. For the first time, the scheme seeks to establish deep industry connect in planning and management of ITI upgradation on a sustained basis. The scheme will adopt an industry-led Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) model for an outcome-driven implementation strategy, making it distinct from previous efforts to improve the ITI ecosystem.

Under the scheme, infrastructure upgradation for improved Training of Trainers (ToT) facilities will be undertaken in five National Skill. Training Institutes (NSTIs), namely Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, and Ludhiana. Additionally, pre-service and in-service training will be provided to 50,000 trainers.

By addressing long-standing challenges in infrastructure, course relevance, employability, and the perception of vocational training, the scheme aims to position ITIs at the forefront to cater to skilled manpower requirement, aligned to the nation’s journey to becoming a global manufacturing and innovation powerhouse. It will create a pipeline of skilled workers aligned with industry demand, thereby addressing skill shortages in high-growth sectors such as electronics, automotive, and renewable energy. In sum, the proposed scheme aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision of Viksit Bharat, with skilling as a key enabler to meet both current and future industry needs.

Background:

Vocational education and training can be an immense driver of economic growth and productivity, as India embarks on its aspirational journey towards a developed nation by 2047. Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have been the backbone of vocational education and training in India since the 1950s, operating under State Governments. While ITI network has expanded by nearly 47% since 2014, reaching 14,615 across with 14.40 lakh enrolment, vocational training via ITIs remains less aspirational and have also suffered from lack of systemic interventions to improve their infrastructure, and appeal.

While in the past there have been schemes to support the upgradation of ITIs, it is perhaps, the best time to scale incremental efforts of the last decade through a nationally scalable program for ITI re-imagination with course content and design aligned with industry needs to create a pool of skilled workforce as one of the key enablers to realize the goal of Viksit Bharat.