With over 10,000 trainees in focus across 33 NSTIs, the national challenge will drive grassroots entrepreneurship through incubation, mentorship, and prizes bringing long-overdue start-up access to vocational training institutes
In a pivotal move to bring structured entrepreneurship access to India’s technical training ecosystem, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has partnered with BITS Pilani’s Pilani Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Society (PIEDS) and the Aditya Birla Capital Foundation (ABCF) to launch a national innovation challenge for students in National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) across India.
The challenge, titled Navonmesh Protsahan Spardha: Kaushalta se Udyamita, aims to provide students pursuing vocational training at NSTIs with a platform to transform technical knowledge into viable start-up ideas. It is set to benefit over 10,000 students across 33 NSTIs, including NSTI(W) institutes dedicated to women’s vocational training.
NSTIs, under the Directorate General of Training (DGT) within MSDE, are institutions offering training under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) and Craft Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) to create a qualified pool of skilled manpower and instructor-level talent. However, while support for start-up incubation exists in schools and higher education institutions, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space home to more than 13 lakh students across ITIs and NSTIs — has lacked structured exposure to innovation and entrepreneurship.
At the program launch, Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, remarked,
At the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, we believe that every skilled individual carries within them the potential to become a job creator. Through this partnership with the Aditya Birla Capital Foundation, we are enabling NSTI students to channel their technical skills into innovation and enterprise. The Navonmesh Protsahan Spardha will empower our young innovators to transform ideas into sustainable ventures, strengthening India’s vision of becoming an Aatmanirbhar and innovation-driven nation.
The program focuses on five high-impact sectors IT/ITeS, Automotive, Apparel, Electronics & Hardware, Power, and Manufacturing. Selected students will receive end-to-end support, from ideation and mentoring to prototyping and market validation. Finalists will also receive incubation support from PIEDS, the business incubator of BITS Pilani, ensuring technical and strategic handholding.
The initiative also reflects the growing alignment between government, academic institutions, and philanthropic arms of the private sector to bridge systemic gaps in technical education. Aditya Birla Capital Foundation is supporting the program through its CSR efforts, enabling PIEDS to manage outreach, evaluation, and mentorship infrastructure at scale.
By anchoring the challenge within the NSTI ecosystem, the program repositions vocational institutes as not just training hubs, but as early-stage innovation accelerators, aligned with India’s broader start-up and skilling vision.
The Navonmesh Protsahan Spardha is also in line with the goals of NEP 2020, which advocates for entrepreneurship, critical thinking, and experiential learning across all levels of education. By infusing a structured innovation ecosystem into the vocational space, the challenge will help students shift from traditional job-seeking mindsets to building sustainable enterprises.
Beyond awards and incubation, the challenge will create a blueprint for embedding start-up support in India’s skill development framework a step long overdue and essential for inclusive economic growth.
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