Government focussed on making India an R&D hub: Dharmendra Pradhan
New technologies will be a harbinger of new order and India with its vast talent pool is at the forefront of this new order, said Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India at the session on “Aligning Education to Emerging Imperatives” at the B20 Summit India 2023. Focussing on the theme of R.A.I.S.E — Responsible, Accelerated, Innovative, Sustainable and Equitable Businesses — the event is being organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the B20 India Secretariat, from 25-27 August 2023 at New Delhi.
Mr Pradhan emphasised that, India is witnessing a path breaking scenario in skilling and entrepreneurship. It is the third largest startup ecosystem in the world with 100 unicorns driven not only from metro cities but also from tier 2 and 3 cities.
Mr Pradhan also informed that the Government’s key focus is to make India an R&D hub and not just a backend office for companies. By strengthening educational institutions, incubators and accelerators, we are strengthening the research and innovation system. Government is focussed not only on “ease of doing business but also ease of doing research”, said Mr Pradhan. Under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, several missions like National Semiconductor Mission, National Quantum Mission have been launched to strengthen research. A number of partnerships and collaborations are ongoing with many countries. A National Research Foundation is being established to facilitate research at academic institutions. Industry academia linkages with cofounding are being strengthened, he informed.
Speaking on the New Education Policy (NEP 2020), Mr Pradhan stated that the NEP has Indian roots while also being futuristic, based on the knowledge of both Indian culture and new technology. With NEP, we are imparting cutting-edge skills & knowledge including courses in coding, AI, semiconductors & drone technologies. NEP has integrated skill development with the school curriculum from class 6 onwards.
Mr Pradhan urged the industry to collaborate and build a realistic partnership and create a mechanism of industry academia collaboration to create a vibrant interface between Indian talent pool and skill needs of industry.
Mr Atul Keshap, Senior Vice President, US Chamber of Commerce and President, US-India Business Council, USA, congratulated and complimented the Indian government for its vison not only for India but for the entire world.
Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), India said that as we enter the digital era, new age education and skilling on new and cutting- edge technologies will be of key importance.
26 August 2023
New Delhi