IIT Mandi organises G20 meet on skill development

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi hosted the G20 – S20 day 3 meeting today. The "Skill India" theme was discussed by the delegates from the public and private sectors to emphasize skill-based education, enhance entrepreneurship, and promote service skills among Indian youth. The event aimed to cultivate practical industry skills in line with the vision of making India self-reliant (AtmaNirbhar).

Laxmidhar Behera, director of IIT Mandi, said, “Skill India is an essential catalyst for Atmanirbhar Bharat. In this regard, we must focus on sustainable development. UN has underlined 17 parameters for sustainable development and IIT Mandi is working on multiple initiatives related to these goals.”

Laxmidhar Behera, director of IIT Mandi (Image Source: Official Website)

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“Verticals such as Bioenergy, Climate control agriculture, Biomedicine, along with the Centre for Sustainable Development at the Institute are a few examples of it with a goal to create skilled workforce. With these initiatives, we also aim to promote entrepreneurial opportunities for the youth of our country.” further added the director.

Highlights from the G20–S20 event day 3

Some of the key sessions included discussion on making school education meaningful for all, empowering teachers, product design skills, and skilling education and entrepreneurship initiatives for inclusive growth.

The Deputy Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Mukesh Agnihotri, highlighted the need for collaboration with IIT Mandi in skilling the youth by establishing multiple Skill Development Centres in the state.

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The deputy CM announced the handover of the Skill Development Centre in Una to IIT Mandi as a satellite center for skill development. He highlighted the importance of indigenizing technologies in fields like Electric Vehicles to create sustainable and affordable solutions.

IIT Mandi has established the Center for Continuing Education (CCE) to focus on skill development and collaborative efforts to empower the underprivileged. The Institute launched five courses with the HPKVN scheme, to help Himachali youth. Additionally, three new-age skill courses will be launched next month. The Institute with NSDC will offer certificate and advanced certificate courses on Data Science, AI, and Machine learning.

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The one-day conclave on Skill India included Vinita Aggarwal from the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) who highlighted how skill development can drive economic growth and reduce unemployment. Neeta Pradhan Das from the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) discussed the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapidly changing world of work. Rita Sharma from the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) emphasized the importance of skilled teachers in implementing the National Education Policy 2020.