Bhubaneswar: The state government will develop altogether 47 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in Odisha as Centres of Excellence (CoEs), said Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today.

The Chief Minister said this while addressing the closing ceremony of Odisha Skill Competition 2025-26 in the capital city here. “The state government will also set up Artificial Intelligence (AI) laboratories at nine ITIs,” added the Chief Minister.

On the occasion, altogether 157 young achievers were awarded with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. As many as 54 young achievers received the Gold medals while 53 got Silver and 50 bagged Bronze.

“Odisha is now going through a phase of rapid industrialization. Our youths should enhance their skills and grab the employment opportunities. The state government has resolved to achieve excellence at every level of skill development,” stated Majhi.

According to the Chief Minister, this is the age of Gen Z and AI. So, the state government is putting emphasis on skill development among the youths.

“Skill development is the only way to establish our supremacy in the world. The state government is committed to make our youths industry-ready through developing ITIs as CoEs and setting up of AI labs,” said the Chief Minister.

Majhi claimed that Odisha has emerged as a growth engine for achieving the goal of a developed and self-sufficient India.

“We are on the process to develop a skill ecosystem, which will attract youths from other states to work in Odisha. The Odisha Skill Competition 2025-26 has confirmed that our youths are fully ready to handle quantum computing and high-performance chip manufacturing,” he added.