Fulfilling aspirations Union budget’s key objective

NEw new delhi: Fulfilling the aspirations of the people is non only a matter of word but the fundamental objective of the Union Budget presented by the government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, addressing a webinar on post budget discussions.The PM underlined that sectors such as health, education, skill development, tourism, sports and culture are some of the areas that act as a medium to fulfil the aspirations of people and elicited suggestions for strengthening them.The webinar “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas – Fulfilling Aspirations of People: Education, Skills and University Townships”, was organised by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB), in collaboration with the department of higher education. It brought together policymakers, industry leaders, academia, startups, and students to discuss implementation pathways for strengthening India’s education, skills, and creative economy ecosystem.Pointing out that India had taken leaps in providing holistic health care, the PM underlined how initiatives such as telemedicine made care accessible to those 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. However, we need to focus on 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.The PM said there was a need 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 capatalsie on this, we need updated curriculum tied to real world economy system,” he said.The PM also called for fastening 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,” be said.Academic institutions should develop campus in ways that allow students real world exposure, he suggested.“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,” he said.The PM also called for creating a research ecosystem where young researchers get ample opportunities to work on new ideas.Speaking about sport infrastructure, he said in the last few years the government has included sport in everyday life to create a new 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,” he said.“Initiatives like Khelo India have infused new energy into the country’s sports ecosystem.Sports infrastructure is being strengthened across the country,” he said.He also advocated focusing on creating tourism ecosystems with a stress on cleanliness and hospitality.