In a major step toward transforming the landscape of education, skill development, and entrepreneurship, the Government of Chhattisgarh signed a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding with IIM Raipur, NIT Raipur, and the Motilal Oswal Foundation.
The MoU was signed during a special event at Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in Raipur, with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai present as a witness.
As per the agreement, a state-of-the-art Entrepreneurship Centre will be constructed starting in 2025-26, with plans for full operationalisation by 2027-28. The initiative is part of the Chhattisgarh Anjor Vision and aims to make innovation and skill development accessible to youth across the state.
CM Vishnu Deo Sai stated, “Revolution in education, skills, and innovation will reach every village.” He emphasised that the Shrimati Mithilesh Agrawal Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Entrepreneurship will benefit not just IIM and NIT students, but also youth from every corner of Chhattisgarh. He urged industries to actively join this movement in education and skills.
Chhattisgarh Targets Innovation-Led Growth with ₹172 Cr from Motilal Oswal Foundation
CM Sai reiterated that Chhattisgarh is shifting from a resource-based to an innovation-driven economy, with focus areas including semiconductors, AI, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, defence, and green hydrogen. “Chhattisgarh will lead an innovation-based, not resource-based, economy,” he said. Over ₹6.75 lakh crore in investment proposals have been received in the past eight months, driven by over 350 reforms in 20 months.
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The Motilal Oswal Foundation pledged ₹172 crore to support this mission—₹101 crore to IIM Raipur and ₹71 crore to NIT Raipur. This will fund the construction of the Oswal Hostel and the Dau Ram Gopal Agrawal Knowledge Centre at IIM Raipur. The institute will also introduce six international MBA programmes in collaboration with top institutions in the US, UK, France, and Germany.
At NIT Raipur, the Shrimati Mithilesh Agrawal Centre of Excellence will focus on deep-tech areas such as Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Blockchain, Robotics, and Clean Energy. The centre aims to train over 10,000 youth by 2030, incubate 250+ startups, and generate over 5,000 skilled jobs, aligned with the state’s industrial sectors like steel, mining, and manufacturing.
In a significant announcement, Ramdeo Agrawal, Co-Founder and Chairman of Motilal Oswal Foundation, declared the establishment of India’s largest farmer training centre in Raipur and pledged to allocate 10% of the Foundation’s funds to social sectors such as education, skills, and agriculture.
Senior state officials, academic leaders, and students attended the event, including Principal Secretary Niharika Barik, Higher Education & Skill Development Secretary S Bharathidasan, CSSDA CEO Vijay Dayaram K, NIT Raipur Chairman Dr Suresh Haware, IIM Raipur Chairman Puneet Dalmia, NIT Director Dr NV Prasanna Rao, and IIM Raipur Director Dr Sanjeev Parashar.
