NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that skill development of the new generation is a national requirement and a major foundation for Aatmanirbhar Bharat.Virtually speaking on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day, PM Modi said, “Skill development of the youth of the new generation is a national requirement and a major foundation for Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”He further said that the challenges posed to the world by the COVID-19 pandemic have increased the importance of World Youth Skill Day.”This is the second time when we are observing this day amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The challenges of this global pandemic have increased the importance of World Youth Skill Day,” said PM Modi.He said that skills teach us how work can be done in its real form.The Prime Minister further stated that the country’s Skill India Mission is a campaign to bolster the need to develop skills in the youth with honesty and as per their needs.He further informed that around 1.25 crore youth have received training under the Central government’s Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.”I am happy that through the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, 1.25 crore youth have been trained to date,” he added.He asserted that acquiring skills is necessary both for people and the country, emphasising that only those with skills have scope for growth.PM Modi said, “Today it is important that your learning should not stop with your earning. There is a high demand for various skills across the globe. Only those who possess skills shall grow. This applies both to the people and the country.””I met some officers working with the Skill Development Mission. I told them that now that you are working on this programme, why don’t you prepare a list of skills which are needed on a regular basis. You would be surprised to know that when they did a rough listing of the skills, around 900 such skills came to light which are necessarily needed in our lives. You can very well estimate, how big is the task of skill development,” he added.National Skill Development Mission was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 15, 2015, to create convergence across sectors and states in terms of skill training activities.
