Bhopal, 27th April 2023: AISECT and Rabindranath Tagore University jointly organized a two-day national conference centred on the theme of Skill Development, Social Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion in building ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. The conference was presided by the Hon’ble Governor of Madhya Pradesh Mr Mangubhai Patel who addressed the attendees on the role of youth to be skilled and the importance of creating entrepreneurship opportunities for them in the service and manufacturing sector for steady growth of the country. In an enriching speech he stated that till the year 2070, India will remain one of the countries in the world to have maximum number of youths. By 2047 India will constitute 21 % of the world’s labour force. The hon’ble Minister also pointed to several facts that he said makes it imperative for the youth come forward and take up skill-based jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities being created in the service and manufacturing sector.
The National Conference saw a panel of distinguished guests at the inaugural session included Shri Santosh Choubey, Chancellor, Rabindranath Tagore University, Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi, Secretary, sponsoring body AISECT, Mrs. Shalini Singh, CEO, Capital Goods Sector Skill Council, Dr. Aditi Chaturvedi, Director, AISECT Group of Universities, Rabindranath Tagore University Registrar Dr. Vijay Singh and Pro-Chancellor of AISECT University Hazaribagh Mr. Abhishek Pandit were also present. Over 500 social and micro entrepreneurs from all over the country were seen participating in the event.
Speaking about the need of the skilling opportunities for Indian youth, Shri Mangubhai Patel said “Under the aegis of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today the government provides numerous opportunities for skilling and entrepreneurship, which are focussed on the development of the youth, both in terms of size and scale. The government is encouraging rapid commercialization through committed policy interventions and bringing in capital investment best innovation practices from around the world. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has created a strong inclusive environment to foster startup culture, innovation and entrepreneurship in a strong, capable, and prosperous, self-reliant India through Seed Fund Scheme and Credit Guarantee Scheme to meet the funding needs of emerging startups.”
During the annual conference, The Chancellor of Rabindranath Tagore University Shri Santosh Choubey gave an insight into the future & skills focussed inauguration of Central India’s first skill development university by AISECT, which will be the sixth university from the AISECT Group of Universities. AISECT currently runs 37 thousand centers based on social entrepreneurship in 27 states. The model of the center is based on Indian languages and social connect. Not just with technology, initiatives in the field of agriculture have also been undertaken by AISECT.
The chief speaker Mrs. Shalini Singh also emphasised on the value of the talent in our country, which she said can also be increased with skill. “Sometimes 3-4 months of skill development is more effective than 16 years of schooling in employment and self-employment generation. Therefore, this conference should focus on efforts to make India self-reliant and increase exports by skill upgradation based on the demographic characteristics of India. In the beginning of the conference”. She spoke. Dr. Siddharth Chaturvedi welcomed all the guests and presented the vision and work outline of AISECT. As it is the 2nd edition of the National Conference, he mentioned that AISECT aims to organize 15 conferences in total on Skill Development and Social Entrepreneurship.
Dr. Aditi Chaturvedi, Director-AISECT shared further information regarding the initiatives undertaken by AISECT activities and the books published. She also announced Santosh Choubey Center for Entrepreneurship, which has been established with the aim of promoting policy level research and entrepreneurship.
This was followed by technical sessions on “Skills as Tool for Social Impact” and “Role of Skilled Workforce in Creating a Self-reliant India” during which Abhinav Gupta, Western Region Head, Government and Public Sector, Microsoft, spoke on “Employability Led Skilling in India and Role of Corporates and Social Sector Organisation”.
HCL Tech Senior Vice President Subbaraman B. shared valuable insights on “The Future of Skilling – The New World of Work”. Shalini Singh, CEO, Capital Goods SSC, spoke on ways to take advantage of the demographic dividend through skill development. Dr. Debapriya Dutta, Head and Director, SSTP, Department of Science and Technology, spoke on the role of technology in social entrepreneurship.
Advisor in NSDC, Dr. O.P. Goyal shared his experiences while talking about ways to promote entrepreneurship and skill development in the country. Mohit Soni, Chief Executive Officer of Media & Entertainment Skills Council, spoke on the skills required in the field of Media & Entertainment and shared inputs on the career opportunities this field contains. Qamar Javed, General Manager, NABARD, spoke on the possibilities of micro entrepreneurship in India.
In a special ceremony, individuals across various social entrepreneurs were awarded Entrepreneur of the Year, Upcoming Entrepreneur of the Year and Most Innovative Entrepreneur of the Year awards.
