Indian govt’s focus is on skilling and digitisation of workers: Sitharaman in US

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said that India is trying to focus on skilling and digitisation in a bid to push development so that there's greater ease of living, transparency and formalisation of the economy. She added that under the Narendra Modi-led government, the country is reaching near saturation in providing basic facilities to the people. 

Speaking at the Peterson Institute for International Economic interactive session, Sitharaman said the approach of the Narendra Modi-led government is to empower the poor people with at least the basic amenities. 

“We are reaching near saturation in providing the basic facilities in India,” she said. 

She noted that the discussions earlier used to be on poverty alleviation. “Have we removed these many numbers of people from poverty and lifted them out,” she said. 

She also added about the facilities the Indian government is wanting to extend to the poor in the country. "And that is to give them some good house to live in, which is made of concrete and not thatched roof with toilets in them, with drinking water reaching them through pipes, electricity, and a good road, not just to the village, but also to the streets in the village and then connect them to the nearest highway; connect them with good transport facility and so on and financial inclusion so that each member of the household has a bank account and they get every such benefit, which has to reach them, but directly into their bank account rather than through a middle agency," she said on Monday. 

FM Sitharaman said India is focusing very much on skilling people. 

"We are now focusing very much on skilling people, each according to their level. Skilling centres are now spread all over the country. The gradation of the skilling varies according to individuals. Businesses and private sector entrepreneurs are also tied into it so that there is a link between the kind of training that businesses want and those who are getting the training so that they can immediately get recruited. There will be a lot of skilling emphasis," the minister said while addressing a crowd at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. 

“India's digitisation programme will be going at full throttle and it'll cover most aspects of our lives. Today, it covers health, education and also, and financial transactions. We expect it to move on to other areas as well so that there's greater ease of living and transparency economy gets even more formal. And therefore, with that, you find the economy has its full strength coming on board rather than having a second layer, which remains in the grey area," Sitharaman added. 

According to The Wheebox India Skills Report 2023, India’s employable talent has risen in the past one year. The report noted that India’s employable workforce has increased from 46.2 per cent to 50.3 per cent. 

The report added that the percentage of the employable women workforce has increased to 52.8 per cent, compared to 47.2 per cent for men. The report also points out that 89 per cent of graduates were actively seeking internship opportunities. 

However, the report, in its conclusion, said that the gap between the skills the graduates have and the ones required by the industry remains, and should be addressed. 

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