'Game changer for Viksit Bharat’: upGrad's Ronnie Screwvala hails Budget 2025's focus on skilling, broadband

upGrad co-founder Ronnie Screwvala has lauded the Union Budget 2025-26 for its strong emphasis on skilling, education, and digital connectivity, calling it a transformative step toward building a future-ready India.

Reacting to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcements, Screwvala said, “Incredible focus and messaging on skilling and building global talent from India—#UnionBudget2025. Five National Skilling centers 👍, opening up of IIT & MBBS seats 👍, augmenting workforce development with focus on GCCs 👍. And the game changer for #ViksitBharat by far—is internet and broadband in every government school 👏👏. Raising aspirations is the ‘A’ of the ‘i’ for India.”

Presenting the Budget, Sitharaman announced the establishment of five National Centres of Excellence for Skilling, aimed at equipping India’s youth with globally relevant skills. These centers will focus on curriculum design, training of trainers, skills certification frameworks, and regular performance reviews through international partnerships. The goal is to foster a workforce aligned with both “Make for India” and “Make for the World” manufacturing ambitions.

In a significant move to expand higher education, the Finance Minister revealed plans to boost infrastructure in Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Over the past decade, the number of IIT students has doubled from 65,000 to 1.35 lakh, and additional facilities will now support 6,500 more students in the five IITs established post-2014. Furthermore, hostel and infrastructure capacity at IIT Patna will be expanded to accommodate growing demand.

However, what Screwvala described as the “game changer” is the government’s decision to provide broadband connectivity to all government secondary schools and primary health centers in rural areas under the BharatNet project. This move aims to bridge the digital divide, enhance access to quality education, and raise aspirations among students across the country.

Sitharaman emphasized that these initiatives are key to shaping India’s growth trajectory. “Building on our development track record, these measures will prepare our youth for global opportunities while ensuring inclusive growth at home,” she said during her Budget speech.