Page 34 - NIS English 16-31 July,2023

Interview Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education,
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship

right time, precious time. Its intention is clear that the and what does it expect from it?
Prime Minister has already realized a long-term vision, n The world is moving towards the Fourth Industrial
so by 2047, the central government is continuously Revolution, India has the potential to lead through
working towards making India developed-self-reliant its 60 Crore youth population. This is possible by
by giving new opportunities to the aspirations, dreams increasing the knowledge capacity of the youth.
and resolutions of the young population. For the first time the Apprenticeship Program has
been linked to DBT, currently 6.41 lakh apprentices
n Skill development is the basis of every scheme today. are working in different industrial units of the
For the first time, Prime Minister Modi constituted a country. Over 2.41 lakh DBT transfers have been
separate special ministry for this. What has been its done and Rs 35.02 crore has been disbursed so
progress so far? far. The announcement to set up 30 new Skill India
n The Ministry of Education, Skill Development and International Centers in the country has been made
Entrepreneurship has taken the initiative of Skill Hub in the budget for the year 2023. Work is being
Centers for skill development. Its objective is to create done with the holistic concept so that the youth
a skilled workforce as per the demand of the industry. of the country can be prepared according to their
Emphasis has been laid on skilling, re-skilling, up- potential. Only then in 2047, when the country will
skilling through the skill mission. 6.35 crore people be completing 100 years of independence, then
have been trained so far through India will stand in the category
the initiatives of the Ministry of of developed nation.
Skill Development and various India is a young nation,
Ministries. The youth are also which Prime Minister n How do you see India's G-20
being re-skilled and up-skilled in Presidency? Especially in the
the mission. With the collaboration Narendra Modi has context that the youth of India is
of Startup India, Mudra and understood, that is why he emerging as a hope for the world?
Standup India, youth are getting has given a call – the time is n India is poised to become a 5
self-employment opportunities. right for Amrit Kaal, it is the trillion dollar economy by 2025.
The eco-system of education
precious time of India.
n You are making changes in the and knowledge will play an
Ministry of Education as well as Skill Development. important role in achieving this goal. There comes a
What changes are you seeing in the education and time for every nation when it sets a new direction and
skill development sectors? Which of the two do you tries to achieve it. Going beyond the Amrit Mahotsav,
consider more important? the Amrit generation is going to play an important
Yes, it is true that both society and institutions role in rebuilding of New India with the thought
n
have been giving more importance to education. of knowledge creation, knowledge sharing and
However, now it is changing. We are living in a world welfare. The new National Education Policy
very different world now. However, when the Prime document in the recently concluded G-20 Education
Minister emphasizes the importance of skills, he says Ministers meeting in Pune has emerged as a hope for
that if a student in the future does not have a degree the world and especially for the emerging economies
but has some skill, it will be enough. So I see only a of the world. The new policy educates the world
combination of education and skill. The convergence about India's knowledge based social system. Our
of both education and skill development can create focus is on world welfare because as Prime Minister
a holistic ecosystem that will equip individuals with Modi says that if India grows, the world will also
knowledge and practical skills. This will increase grow. The aim of making India a developed nation by
their employment and encourage entrepreneurship. 2047 is not only to make India developed alone, we
talk about taking the world humanity along. The new

n The youth have expectations from the central education policy has transformed "What is our right?"
government for good opportunities for education and To the philosophy of "What is our responsibility?"
cooperation for employment and self-employment. The message of this policy is clear that do duty, take
What is the thinking of the central government responsibility. This is the time, the right time, move
regarding this Amrit generation for a developed India forward with this thinking.

32 New India Samachar July 16-31, 2023