Jayant Chaudhary Chairs Strategic Meet to Scale AI Skilling for Viksit Bharat

Addressing the meeting, Shri Jayant Chaudhary underscored that building AI capabilities at scale requires deep collaboration between government, industry, academia, and training institutions.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, chaired a high-level strategic meeting on “Skilling for Artificial Intelligence (AI)” at Kaushal Bhawan, New Delhi, aimed at integrating AI capabilities into India’s national skilling roadmap in support of the vision of Viksit Bharat.

The meeting focused on strengthening AI readiness across India’s workforce by reviewing key initiatives under the IndiaAI Mission’s FutureSkills pillar and flagship programmes of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE). These included SOAR – Skilling for AI Readiness, the DGT–Microsoft collaboration, AI Careers for Women (TechSaksham 2.0), and AI-focused training under PMKVY 4.0. Emphasis was also placed on enhancing inter-ministerial coordination between MSDE and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

The session was attended by senior officials and domain leaders, including Ms. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, MSDE; Ms. Sonal Mishra, Additional Secretary, MSDE; Shri Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary, MeitY and CEO, IndiaAI Mission; Ms. Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog and Chief Architect, NITI Frontier Tech Hub, along with leadership from MSDE and the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET).

Building AI Capabilities at Scale

Addressing the meeting, Shri Jayant Chaudhary underscored that building AI capabilities at scale requires deep collaboration between government, industry, academia, and training institutions. He stated that consultations such as these are essential to strengthen industry co-ownership in skilling, promote flexible and modular learning pathways, and ensure that training systems remain aligned with real-world demand.

He emphasised that embedding AI skills across education, vocational training, and the workforce is critical to preparing India for leadership in an increasingly AI-enabled global economy and is central to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat.

Multi-Stakeholder Consultation on AI Talent

In continuation of the strategic review, MSDE convened a multi-stakeholder consultation bringing together senior officials from MeitY, representatives of the IndiaAI Mission, industry leaders, regulators, academia, and key skilling ecosystem partners. The consultation aimed to align policy vision, industry requirements, and skilling implementation to build a future-ready AI workforce.

A key focus of the deliberations was the scale and urgency of India’s AI talent challenge, particularly in the context of MSDE’s expanding portfolio of digital and technology-driven skilling initiatives. Participants highlighted the importance of continuous upskilling and reskilling to equip learners and workers with applied and industry-relevant AI competencies.

Aligning with IndiaAI Mission Objectives

The discussions were closely aligned with the objectives of the IndiaAI Mission, with participants examining how MSDE’s skilling frameworks can support India’s ambition to emerge as a trusted global hub for AI development, deployment, and governance. Emphasis was placed on developing talent across the entire AI value chain, from research and engineering to sector-specific applications in healthcare, manufacturing, services, and governance, while ensuring responsible and ethical use of AI.

Participants took note of the steady progress made by MSDE through structured programmes and strategic partnerships, including initiatives aimed at building early AI awareness and foundational capabilities among students. These efforts were recognised for strengthening the long-term talent pipeline and fostering digital confidence, creativity, and problem-solving skills from an early stage.

Towards an Integrated, Mission-Driven Approach

The consultation stressed the need to move from fragmented interventions to an integrated, mission-driven, and outcome-oriented approach, building on the systems and frameworks already established by MSDE. Greater industry participation in curriculum design and delivery, modular and stackable learning pathways, and hands-on training through apprenticeships and live projects were identified as priority areas to strengthen existing efforts.

The deliberations concluded with a shared understanding that MSDE’s ongoing work in AI and digital skilling provides a strong foundation for the next phase of action. Key priority areas identified included:

• Integrating foundational AI modules into existing vocational curricula

• Strengthening institutional and training infrastructure

• Expanding early-stage AI literacy initiatives

• Deepening industry partnerships

• Ensuring regulatory agility to keep pace with technological change

The consultation marked an important step towards scaling and enhancing India’s AI skilling ecosystem, reaffirming MSDE’s central role in preparing India’s people to thrive and lead in an AI-enabled future.