The Cabinet Secretariat has directed major rural, agriculture, social and welfare ministries to design programmes in universities and colleges that would build a youth movement towards making India an advanced economy. According to reports from Business Standard, the instructions focused on youth, universities, technical and industrial training institutes and agricultural universities, with proposals for process reforms and deregulation in the pharmaceutical sector. The ministries and departments were also encouraged to use domestic digital, AI and messaging platforms like Zoho, Sarvam, Arattai, etc., to ensure the safety of government data.
Sources said the directions have also been issued to prepare a model for increasing employability and upskilling opportunities for ITI students and rejigging the method of granting them degrees. As reported by Business Standard, the secretaries have been told to map demand for skilled human resources in various sectors and accordingly impart skill training to meet global demand, for example, by linking the northeastern states to Japan. They have also been told to provide training in soft skills and digital technology so that youths can get employed in other countries.
The secretaries were told to place more emphasis on developing more construction companies capable of executing complex projects and on developing capacity to manufacture heavy and complex machinery and equipment in the country. According to Business Standard, this initiative aligns with broader infrastructure development goals and manufacturing capabilities enhancement.
With an eye on the 2036 Olympics, the secretaries were told to encourage schools and colleges and even younger children to showcase their achievements in various sports competitions and events at various levels. As reported by Business Standard, the Cabinet Secretary noted that those who will participate in the 2036 Olympics are currently in the age group of 5-10 years and are in schools. On agriculture, participating secretaries were directed to examine the syllabus in agricultural universities to ascertain whether it is in accordance with the requirements of the agro-climatic zone of the region.
The letter follows a high-level meeting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had with secretaries of major social, agriculture and rural ministries. According to Business Standard, the directive also calls upon the ministries to identify gaps in rules, regulations, processes and systems to facilitate reforms in them. The Cabinet Secretary emphasized the need to engage senior citizens as mentors in ITIs by paying them an honorarium, similar to the approach of professors of practice in the NEP, and explore whether final year engineering students can volunteer for 2-3 months on honorarium basis in ITIs.
