Skilling, planned urbanisation and affordable energy key to Viksit Bharat journey: NITI Aayog Vice Chairman
New Delhi, June 11
Skilling, planned urbanisation, and affordable energy emerged as key themes during the 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Ministers stressing the need to align human capital development with India's long-term growth ambitions, NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Ashok Kumar Lahiri said on Thursday.
He said the discussions covered 'all aspects of life' of citizens, including education, healthcare and employment, with a strong emphasis on building a skilled workforce.
"It's very important because a skilled population is the key to success," he said.
Highlighting the importance of human capital in economic development, Lahiri said, "A literate population, a healthy population, a well-educated population is the key to success."
"Prime Minister and the Chief Minister spoke a lot about employment. Here, one of the things that is very important is skilling," Lahiri added.
He noted that industries often face a shortage of suitably trained workers despite the expansion of educational institutions.
"As new technology comes, we have to adapt ourselves. We cannot get stuck in 1990s or 2000 technology. As things evolve we have to get new skills," he said.
Lahiri stressed that skill development programmes must be guided by industry requirements.
"Industry, what do they want? What kind of skills do they want? So a great collaboration between industry and the skilling institutions is very important," he said.
The meeting also saw extensive discussions on urbanisation and infrastructure planning as India continues to witness rapid migration to cities.
"Many chief ministers and the prime minister talked about disorderly urbanisation," Lahiri said, adding that the country's leadership is "fully aware of the fact that we need planned urbanization."
According to him, discussions included the development of plug-and-play industrial parks supported by housing, roads, sewerage networks, schools and public amenities.
Energy affordability and availability were also discussed, particularly the role of renewable and nuclear power in meeting future demand.
"Prime Minister and many Chief Ministers talked about the question of making energy prices competitive and energy available," Lahiri said.
He said members advocated wider adoption of rooftop solar systems in homes, schools, hospitals and government buildings to reduce dependence on grid electricity and ease subsidy burdens.
"There was talk about nuclear energy because many of the members said it's now safe. The nuclear energy has evolved so much that we don't need to be worried about another Chernobyl," he added.
— ANI
Reader Comments
I appreciate the focus on planned urbanization but we have been hearing this for decades. Look at our cities - unplanned, chaotic, no proper drainage or footpaths. Hope this time it's not just another committee report gathering dust. Affordable energy is critical for our manufacturing dreams to come true.
Interesting to see nuclear energy being discussed so openly in India. The safety concerns are valid but modern reactors are indeed much safer than Chernobyl-era designs. India needs to embrace nuclear power if we want to meet our net-zero targets while still powering growth. Good to see pragmatic thinking.
The skilling part resonates with me. I run a small manufacturing unit and finding trained machine operators is impossible. We spend months training fresh hires. Government should create more ITIs with modern equipment and tie-ups with local industries. Rooftop solar is also a great idea - my house has it and electricity bill reduced by 60%!
All good points but implementation is key. Our skill development programmes often lack quality trainers and outdated curriculum. The industry collaboration part is crucial - companies must be incentivized to participate actively. Also, urban planning needs to consider green spaces and affordable housing, not just plug-and-play parks. Let's hope for concrete action!
As someone who works in renewables, I'm pleased to see energy affordability getting this level of attention. The rooftop solar push is smart - distributed generation reduces transmission losses and empowers consumers. However, we need better financing options for low-income households to adopt solar. Overall, encouraging conversations at the highest level.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.