Raipur, (VW) In a major push for education, skill development, and entrepreneurship in Chhattisgarh, a landmark tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the state government, IIM Raipur, NIT Raipur, and the Motilal Oswal Foundation. The agreement, which was witnessed by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, took place at a special ceremony at the Pt. Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium on Friday.

The partnership, a step towards realising the “Chhattisgarh Anjor Vision,” includes the establishment of a state-of-the-art Entrepreneurship Centre. Its construction is slated to begin in the 2025-26 fiscal year and is expected to be fully operational by 2027-28.

Speaking at the event, Chief Minister Sai said, “This partnership will trigger a revolution in education, skill training, and innovation across villages, empowering youth to progress and excel.” He stated that the upcoming Shrimati Mithilesh Agrawal Centre for Innovation and Excellence in Entrepreneurship would be a resource for all of Chhattisgarh’s youth, not just students of IIM and NIT. The Chief Minister highlighted that the state is diversifying beyond traditional industries and is now focusing on advanced sectors like semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and green hydrogen. He pointed to over 350 reforms introduced in the past 20 months, which have attracted investment proposals worth over ₹6.75 lakh crore in just eight months.

Co-founder and Chairman of the Motilal Oswal Foundation, Ramdeo Agrawal, announced a donation of ₹172 crore to IIM and NIT Raipur. A sum of ₹101 crore will go to IIM Raipur to fund a 202-room Oswal Hostel and the Dau Ram Gopal Agrawal Knowledge Centre, along with launching six international MBA programmes. NIT Raipur will receive ₹71 crore for the establishment of the Shrimati Mithilesh Agrawal Centre of Excellence, which will focus on deep-tech domains like AI, robotics, and clean energy. This centre aims to train over 10,000 youth, incubate more than 250 startups, and create over 5,000 skilled jobs by 2030, with a focus on solving real-world challenges for local industries.

Agrawal also announced the establishment of the country’s largest farmer training centre in Raipur. He affirmed the Foundation’s commitment to allocating 10 per cent of its total funds to social welfare in education, skills, and agriculture. The event was attended by top government officials and leaders from the academic and corporate worlds.