STATE TIMES NEWS
NEW DELHI: The government has given top priority to youth skills development and the creation of new institutions, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday.
In a virtual address to students at the first-ever convocation of Industrial Training Institutes (ITI) students, Modi gave the country’s youth the mantra “Skilling, Reskilling and Upskilling” and exhorted them to innovate and continually improve their skills with the peers developing times.
PM Modi turns 72
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi turned 72 on Saturday and celebrated his birthday by speaking at four events covering areas as diverse as wildlife and the launch of a logistics policy, while greetings arrived from political leaders and other prominent personalities.
Dignitaries such as President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar praised his “nation-building project and transformative vision,” while many others, including his cabinet colleagues, hailed his contribution to a “strong and self-reliant” India. The ruling BJP launched a 15-day “seva” (service) exercise with its president, JP Nadda, in which he claimed that serving people is in line with his vision to celebrate the birthday of the leading party leader. He also opened an exhibition about the life of the prime minister here in the party headquarters.
The Prime Minister said it is very important that the youth of India have equal education and skills to make this the century of India.
He noted that as India moves forward in the 21st century, history was made as more than 9,000 ITI students came together while over 40,000 students were virtually connected to the program.
The Prime Minister pointed out that with their skills on Lord Vishwakarma’s birthday, the students take their first step on the path of innovation.
I can say with confidence: as pleasant as your start is, your journey into tomorrow will also be more creative , he said.
Highlighting the government’s achievements over the past eight years, the Prime Minister said that India has initiated new programs inspired by Lord Vishwakarma and is trying to revive the tradition of “Shramev Jayate” by focusing on skills development .
“The first ITI in our country was established in 1950. In the following seven decades, 10,000 ITIs were founded. In the 8 years of our government, about 5,000 new ITIs were created in the country. More than 4,000 new seats have also been added to ITIs over the past 8 years, Modi said.
Referring to the era of the fourth industrial revolution, “Industry 4.0”, the Prime Minister noted that Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) will play a huge role in India’s success.
Modi said many courses related to coding, AI, robotics, 3D printing, drone technology and telemedicine have been launched in ITIs.
The Prime Minister pointed out that India is taking the lead in renewable energy, solar energy and electric vehicles and the relevant courses have been introduced in many of our ITIs.
It will be easier for students like you to get job opportunities, he added. Discussing recent developments in making fiber optics available to every village and the opening of thousands of Common Service Centers, the Prime Minister said that as technology expands in the country, so too will job opportunities.
He said more and more opportunities are being created in the villages for students who have been swooned by ITIs.
Whether mobile repair work in the village or working on new technologies in agriculture, spraying fertilizers or supplying medicines with the help of drones, many such new jobs are being added to the rural economy , the prime minister noted, emphasizing that the role of the ITIs is very important in this and our youth should make the most of these opportunities.
He said the center is continually working to keep in mind ITIs with a similar vision.
Modi also shared that there is a special provision for recruiting into the army youth who have received technical training from ITIs.
He said the center will open more than 5,000 skill centers to promote skills development at the school level.
After the implementation of the New National Education Policy, experiential learning will also be promoted and skills courses introduced in schools, Modi said.
Highlighting opportunities at the global level, the prime minister said that many major countries in the world need skilled workers to fulfill their dreams and keep up their pace, stressing that many opportunities await both at home and abroad.
Amid the changing global circumstances, the world’s trust in India continues to grow. Even during the Corona period, India has proven how capable its professionals and youth are to deliver solutions to the biggest challenges,” he said. At the convening ceremony, Minister of Education, Skills Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan said that skills development is the tool of self-determination.
