New Delhi, March 9 Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called for accelerating the process of linking the country's education sector to the real-world economy, while focusing on subjects like artificial intelligence and automation.
Addressing a post-budget webinar, Modi also said that fulfilling the aspirations of the people is the resolve of his government, and that education, skill development, health, tourism, sports, and culture are some of the sectors that serve this purpose.
"Fulfilling the aspirations of the people is not just a subject, but it is the core objective and the resolve of this government," he said at the webinar, which was attended by stakeholders from various government ministries, departments, and private sector experts.
The prime minister said that education, skill, health, tourism, sports, and culture are fundamental sectors and major means of fulfilling these public aspirations.
"We will need to further accelerate the process of connecting our education system to the real-world economy. In areas such as AI and automation, the digital economy, and design-driven manufacturing, we will need to increase our focus even more," he said.
The prime minister also highlighted the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
"It is encouraging to see that the daughters of our country have a great interest in STEM. When we talk about futuristic technologies, it is important that no daughter is held back due to a lack of opportunities. We must create a research ecosystem where young researchers get ample opportunities to work on new ideas," he said.
He also mentioned that the health sector has been strengthened, and the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Arogya Mandirs have led to greater access to health services in rural areas.
Referring to the "care economy," which involves trained caregivers assisting senior citizens, Modi said that as the senior citizen population increases, the demand for caregivers will also rise.
"I request that new training models should be developed," he said.
The prime minister said that India is working on a vision of preventive and holistic health, and that in recent years, the country's health infrastructure has been strengthened.
He said that new medical colleges have opened in hundreds of districts, and through the Ayushman Bharat scheme, access to health services has been extended to villages via wellness centers.
Modi also talked about the "youth power" of the country, saying that it becomes "national power" only when it is healthy, disciplined, and brimming with self-confidence.
"That is why, in the past few years, sports have been viewed as an important stream of national development," he said.
