Under the chairpersonship of Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today convened the first meeting of SARTHI – Strategic Advisory and Reforms Taskforce for Holistic ITI Transformation at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The meeting marks a landmark effort to strengthen India’s vocational training ecosystem and institutionalise long-term reforms across Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

Participating in the deliberations were Ministers from various States, including Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore, Minister of Industries & Commerce, Information Technology & Communication, Youth Affairs & Sports, Skills, Employment & Entrepreneurship and Soldier Welfare Department, Government of Rajasthan; Shri Kunvarjibhai Bavaliya, Minister for Labour, Skill Development & Employment and Rural Development, Government of Gujarat; Dr. G Vivek Venkatswamy, Minister for Labour, Employment, Training, Factories and Mines & Geology, Government of Telangana; and Shri Kapil Dev Agarwal, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Vocational Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, along with senior government officials and other stakeholders from the skilling ecosystem.

SARTHI has been established as an apex advisory platform under the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) to enable structured engagement among stakeholders and support evidence-based policy deliberations for strengthening Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) across the country.

Addressing the meet, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, said, “SARTHI reflects our collective commitment to reimagining vocational education and building an ITI ecosystem that is more dynamic, aspirational and aligned with the opportunities of a changing India. Across the country, we are already witnessing promising examples of innovation and reform. The objective of SARTHI is to connect these efforts, enable shared learning and help successful models scale across India. Today’s discussions reinforced that skilling reforms must remain closely linked to emerging sectors, industry demand and learner aspirations. As India moves towards the vision of Viksit Bharat, our focus must be on translating policy into implementation at scale, strengthening partnerships and ensuring that every young person has access to high-quality, future-ready opportunities.”

During the meeting, members deliberated on a broad range of themes aimed at strengthening the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of the ITI ecosystem to emerging workforce and industry requirements. Discussions covered approaches to improving institutional performance and quality assurance, promoting excellence and learner engagement, strengthening assessment processes and leveraging technology to improve efficiency and transparency.

Members also exchanged views on increasing women’s participation in vocational education, expanding access through innovative delivery models and creating stronger pathways between education, skilling and employment. Deliberations further focused on enhancing practical learning, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, strengthening industry engagement and improving institutional governance mechanisms within ITIs.

Overall, the discussions reflected a shared commitment towards building a more inclusive, future-ready and outcome-oriented vocational training ecosystem through continued collaboration between the Centre, States and other stakeholders.

Smt. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, MSDE; Shri Dilip Kumar, Director General (Training), Directorate General of Training (DGT); Smt. Archana Mayaram, Economic Advisor, MSDE; Shri M. Subramanian, Joint Secretary, MSDE; Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Gaba, Executive Member, NCVET; along with other senior officials from the MSDE, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, State Governments, DGT, NCVET, NSDC, UGC, and Skill Universities, were present on the occasion.

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