New Delhi, Oct 4 : As the Bihar Assembly elections draw near, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold a virtual interaction with young people on Saturday. The event, set to take place in a packed auditorium in Patna, aims to energize the youth and highlight key development plans focused on education, skills, and employment.

During the session, PM Modi will launch projects worth over Rs 62,000 crore,giving a decisive push to education, skilling, and entrepreneurship for youngsters across the country.

The Prime Minister will launch Bihar's revamped Mukhyamantri Nishchay Svyam Sahayata Bhatta Yojana, under which nearly five lakh young graduates every year will receive a monthly allowance of Rs 1,000 for two years, along with free skill training.

He will also lay the foundation stone for new academic and research facilities in four universities of Bihar, namely Patna University, Bhupendra Narayan Mandal University in Madhepura, Jai Prakash Vishwavidyalaya in Chapra, and Nalanda Open University in Patna, under the PM-USHA (Pradhan Mantri Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan). Together, these projects, with a total allocation of Rs 160 crore, will benefit more than 27,000 students by enabling modern academic infrastructure, advanced laboratories, hostels, and multidisciplinary learning.

PM Modi will also dedicate the Bihta campus of NIT Patna to the nation. With the capacity to host 6,500 students, the campus houses advanced facilities, including a 5G use case lab, a Regional Academic Centre for Space established in collaboration with ISRO, and an Innovation and Incubation Centre that has already supported nine start-ups.

Besides, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Jan Nayak Karpoori Thakur Skill University in Bihar, envisioned to impart industry-oriented courses and vocational education to create a globally competitive workforce.

The programme for the launch of the youth initiative at Vigyan Bhawan here, will also feature the Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh, the fourth edition of the National Skill Convocation, organized in accordance with the Prime Minister's vision, where 46 all-India toppers from Industrial Training Institutes under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship will be felicitated, according to a PMO statement issued on Friday.

The Prime Minister will launch PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a Centrally sponsored scheme with an investment of Rs 60,000 crore. The scheme envisages the upgradation of 1,000 Government ITIs across the country in a hub-and-spoke model comprising 200 hub ITIs and 800 spoke ITIs. Each hub will be connected to four spokes on average, creating clusters equipped with advanced infrastructure, modern trades, digital learning systems and incubation facilities, the statement said.

PM Modi will also distribute appointment letters to more than 4,000 newly recruited candidates of the Bihar government and release Rs 450 crore in scholarships through Direct Benefit Transfer to 25 lakh students of Class 9 and 10 under the Mukhyamantri Balak/Balika Scholarship Scheme.

/IANS