Medilytix Bureau:
It is imperative to prepare the ‘demographic dividend’ of the country as per the demands of the changing job roles”, said Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi while addressing a webinar on positive impact of Union Budget 2022 on the education and skill sector held today. During the webinar, to encourage participation in the skill ecosystem by enabling digital skills, a session was held on the theme — Towards Fostering Strong Industry-Skill Linkage by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) with participation from Department of promotion for Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Ministry of Tourism. The webinar was attended by the government officials, industry experts and representatives of key associations.
The webinar led by MSDE was co-chaired by Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary, MSDE, Shri Anurag Jain, Secretary, DPIIT and Shri G. Kamala Vardhna Rao, Director General, Ministry of Tourism. The panellists for the session were Shri N.S Kalsi, Chairman, National Council for Vocational Education & Training (NCVET); Shri Amber Dubey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Shri Manish Sabharwal, Vice Chairman, Teamlease Services. The session was moderated by Mr. Ved Mani Tiwari, COO, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
Shri Rajesh Aggarwal shared his thoughts on the latest initiatives announced in the Budget 2022 and expressed his views on how partnerships can be reorientated with the current demands of the industry. He stated that in the current environment, from agriculture to service sector, the dynamics have completely changed. While the basic human needs remain the same, there is a rapid change in production, distribution, and consumption patterns. Therefore, it is pertinent that we promote soft skills, imbibe the culture of learning, and focus on multiskilling, as these initiatives will empower our youth and promote nation building, he added. He further said that the Digital Ecosystem for Skilling and Livelihood (DESH-Stack e-portal) will remove information loss between stakeholders and resolve existing asymmetries. He stressed that it is also critical that academia and industry work hand in hand as the pandemic has taught us that how existing skills can vanish overnight, and new job roles can evolve swiftly. Therefore, a culture of skills should be developed that builds the capabilities of our workforce and prepares them for the World of Work, he added.
During the session, Shri Anurag Jain stated that in the Budget speech, Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman launched PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for multi-modal connectivity. He said that the initiative is a GIS-based spatial planning and analytical tool with 200+ layers, enabling better visibility to the executing agency. Under this, every department will now have the visibility of each other’s activities providing critical data, bringing about more comprehensive planning and execution of projects. The data exchange among all mode operators will also be brought on the Unified Logistics Interface Platform (ULIP), designed for application programming interface (API), improving international competitiveness. This will bring about a sustainable development driven by seven engines – roads, railways, airports, ports, mass transport, waterways and logistics infrastructure, he added.He further emphasized on the need for dynamic skilling environment, exposure to industry requirements (reskilling, upskilling) and NSQF alignment with industry needs.