By Apoorva Misra,News18

Copyright news18

Maharashtra’s skill development and employment minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha has underlined that India’s progress depends not only on ambitious policies, but also on better coordination between states and the Centre. He said governments must work together as ‘Team India’ to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India by 2047.
Lodha was speaking at the inaugural session of the National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) workshop in Mumbai. The workshop, organised jointly by the Union Ministry of Skill Development and Maharashtra’s Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department, saw participation from officials of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Daman-Diu, and Dadra-Nagar Haveli.
Calling coordination as important as capacity building, Lodha said, “It is not enough to simply enhance skills. We must also know how and where to use them. Too often, the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.” He recommended quarterly state-level reviews and an annual national meeting of all state skill departments to ensure smoother cooperation.
The minister also stressed on the need to change the country’s perception of workers. “In India, there is often a negative mindset attached to the word ‘labourer’. We must change that. A skilled person should be respected for their expertise, not judged by the type of work they do,” Lodha said, citing Europe and the US as examples where workers are valued for their skills.
Highlighting the mismatch between educated youth and industry needs, Lodha pointed out that Maharashtra has a huge pool of graduates but thousands of vacancies remain unfilled in companies. He proposed setting up a “job-matching bureau” to connect qualified candidates with industry requirements. Skill education from school level, he said, was the way forward.
Union skill development minister Jayant Chaudhary, who addressed the workshop virtually, said India’s global ambitions could not be met without building a skilled workforce. “Skill development has a vital role in India’s growth story. The Centre is implementing various schemes under the leadership of PM Modi, but the states must also innovate and share their success stories,” he said.
The event also featured presentations of successful initiatives by states, including Maharashtra and Gujarat. Union skill secretary Debashree Mukherjee, NCVET executive member Dr Vinita Agarwal, and Maharashtra’s additional chief secretary Manisha Verma were among those who spoke.