As India embarks on the path of self-reliance through Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, it has to nurture the skilled workforce. This article highlights the need to upgrade the skills or upskill the youth to meet the employment needs of technology-driven 21st century.

Context

• The effects of the pandemic are expected to have a lasting impact on every sphere of activity.
• Considering this impact, India announced the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to propel the country on the path of self-sustenance.

Objectives

• Atmanirbhar Bharat has twin objectives- short term and long term.
• 1) Reviving different spheres of the economy in the short term.
• 2) Insulating India from any future global economic downturn, by making it robust in the long run.
• The Abhiyan seeks to build capacities across sectors and promote local products.
• Further, it would focus on scaling up manufacturing, accelerating infrastructure development, attracting investments and promoting a consumption-led growth.

Youth: Strength of India

• About 65 per cent of India’s population is below 35 years and 50 per cent is below 25 years.
• With a huge, educated young population, India is uniquely poised to realise its demographic potential.
• The fact that Indians are heading several MNCs shows that there is no dearth of knowledge and talent in the country.
• However, we need to upgrade the skills or upskill the youth to meet the employment needs of technology-driven 21st century.

Opportunities and challenges

• Pandemic and is being seen by many as an opportunity to upgrade their knowledge and acquire new skills.
• The fourth industrial revolution has triggered a paradigm change in which digital technology drives the job market.
• Remote working with increasing adoption of digital technology might continue to be dominant mode of working for the near future.
• It is estimated that nearly 70 per cent of the world’s learners are affected by school closures due to pandemic across education levels.
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning, data science, cloud computing and Internet of Things will be area of interest for companies.
• With people opting to online buying, companies will seek to adopt new online marketing strategies.
• Another important issue that needs to be addressed is ensuring equitable employment through higher participation of women in the workforce.

Way forward for Atmanirbhar Bharat

1) Local to glocal

• There have been some reassuring developments with an accent on “local to glocal”
• The production of several lakh PPE kits, a collaboration of automobile industries to produce ventilators, manufacture of more than 70 Made in India products by the DRDO are just a few examples of the capability of Indian scientists, IT professionals and technocrats.

2) Reducing import

• We must aim to gradually reduce imports in every sector from crude oil to heavy machinery.
• This reduction should be based on the locally available resources, talent, and skills of the human capital.

3) Globally competitive product

• While remaining vocal about local, we must aim at making Indian products to be globally competitive. 
• We should try to stay ahead in the innovation-led knowledge economy.
• PSUs and the private sector should not only complement but collaborate wherever feasible.
• The private sector must massively step up investments R&D. PSUs too need to modernise in terms of technology.

Consider the question “Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan has the aim of reviving the Indian economy. Examine its objective and how it seeks to revive the economy”

Conclusion

To remain globally competitive with a well-assured future, we need to focus on “skills, scale and speed”. India has the potential to emerge as the global hub for providing skilled manpower to other nations.

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