Fulfilling people’s aspirations fundamental objective of Union budget: Modi

FUlfilling the people’s aspirations is non simply a subject of word but a first harmonic objective of the Union budget, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday at a webinar on post-budget discussions.He said health, education, skill development, tourism, sports, and culture are some of the sectors that act as a medium to fulfil these aspirations. He sought suggestions for strengthening them.Modi pointed out that India has taken leaps in providing holistic healthcare. He underlined how initiatives such as telemedicine have made care accessible in remote areas.“The health sector has been strengthened. Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Arogya Mandirs have led to greater penetration of health services in rural areas. We need to focus on the care economy as well. As the senior citizen population increases, the demand for caregivers will also rise. Therefore, new training models will need to be developed,” he said.Modi called for strengthening the training ecosystem and creating more awareness. “The mindset of the youth has changed now …even in far-off places, they want to do something new. This is our biggest strength, and to capitalise on this, we need an updated curriculum tied to a real-world economy system.”Modi called for speeding up the process of linking the education system with the real-world economy. “Focus should be increased on AI, automation, the digital economy, and design-driven manufacturing.”Modi said academic institutions should develop campuses in ways that allow students real-world exposure. “Another important sector is STEM [Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics]. It is heartening to see that the daughters of our country have a great interest in STEM. Today, when we talk about futuristic technologies, it is important that no daughter is held back due to a lack of opportunities.”Modi called for creating a research ecosystem where young researchers get ample opportunities to work on new ideas. He said the government has included sports in everyday life to create a new sports ecosystem. “The power of the youth becomes national power only when it is healthy, disciplined, and brimming with self-confidence. That is why, in the past few years, sports have been viewed as an important stream of national development.”Modi called for strengthening sporting facilities in view of the coming international sporting events, such as the Commonwealth Games. “We need younger sportspersons and groom them for international events.”He said initiatives like Khelo India have infused new energy into the country’s sports ecosystem. “Sports infrastructure is being strengthened across the country.” Modi called for focusing on tourism ecosystems with stress on cleanliness, hospitality, etc.The information and broadcasting ministry and the higher education department organised the webinar “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas – Fulfilling Aspirations of People: Education, Skills and University Townships”. Policymakers, industry leaders, academia, startups, and students attended the webinar to discuss implementation pathways for strengthening India’s education, skills, and creative economy ecosystem.