Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Kaushal Dikshnat Samaroh via video message, celebrating the significance of skill development in India. He commended the joint convocation of skill development institutions across the nation, emphasizing its uniqueness and value.
During his address, the Prime Minister highlighted the critical role that youth play in harnessing a country’s strengths, be it its natural resources, mineral wealth, long coastlines, or other assets. He stressed that a nation’s development is intrinsically linked to the strength and vigor of its youth, underscoring the importance of fully utilizing this powerful resource.
Prime Minister Modi noted that India is empowering its youth through two key strategies. Firstly, the government is equipping the youth to take advantage of emerging opportunities through skill development and education. He referenced the recently established National Education Policy, highlighting its significance after nearly four decades. Additionally, the government is investing in the establishment of new medical colleges and skill development institutes, such as IITs, IIMs, and ITIs. Over the years, these initiatives have trained millions of young individuals through the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
“Secondly, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of strengthening traditional job sectors while simultaneously promoting new sectors that facilitate employment and entrepreneurship. India has achieved remarkable records in goods exports, mobile exports, electronic exports, services exports, defense exports, and manufacturing, creating numerous opportunities for its youth in fields like space, startups, drones, animation, electric vehicles, semiconductors, and more”.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted India’s unique demographic advantage. While many countries face an aging population, India’s youth population continues to grow, making it a beacon of hope for the world. He mentioned the global recognition of India’s skilled youth and the acceptance of India’s proposal for global skill mapping at the G20 Summit.
“The Prime Minister acknowledged the previous neglect of skill development and underscored his government’s commitment to the cause. India is now investing more in its youth’s skills than ever before, with approximately 1.5 crore youth trained under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana”.
Modi also underlined the importance of skilling, upskilling, and re-skilling, given the evolving demands of the job market. He called for industry, research, and skill development institutions to remain aligned with the current needs.
“India has seen a substantial expansion of its skill development scope, not confined to traditional sectors, but also expanding into various other domains. Even women’s self-help groups are being prepared for drone technology. The PM Vishwakarma Yojana enables traditional Vishwakarma to integrate their skills with modern technology”.
The Prime Minister lauded India’s economic growth, noting that it’s expanding employment opportunities and reducing unemployment rates. Furthermore, he emphasized the increased participation of women in the workforce, attributing this achievement to the government’s women empowerment schemes.
Citing data from the International Monetary Fund, the Prime Minister declared that India would remain the fastest-growing major economy in the coming years. He reiterated his ambition to place India among the top three economies globally, a goal that the IMF is also confident of India achieving in the next 3-4 years.
