Skilled youth essential for ‘Viksit Bharat’, says UGC secretary

University Grants Commission (UGC) secretary Manish Joshi on Friday (February 06, 2026) said that UGC’s prime objective was to impart skills, that are a core component of achieving a developed India (Viksit Bharat) by the year 2047.

He was speaking at the UGC’s South Zone (Andhra Pradesh) conference on ‘Steps towards Industry, Knowledge, Apprenticeship and Skilling’ (VIKAS 2026), conducted in collaboration with Sri Padmavati Mahila Viswa Vidyalayam (SPMVV), here on Friday. He stressed on enhancing quality of standards in higher education and make them part of India’s development.

Highlighting the importance of industry-academia collaboration and brainstorming sessions, he state that policies should not merely be formulated, but must be effectively implemented in higher educational institutions.

“Institutions that have already implemented the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP) guidelines should share their experiences, benefits, and insights on how the programme supports students in securing employment opportunities,” Prof. Joshi said, adding that understanding the challenges in implementation and getting proper feedback from students would help shape the policy effectively.

Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education (APSCHE) Vice-Chairman S. Vijayabhaskara Rao explained the new initiatives of the State government and development of institutional frameworks to promote entrepreneurship.

SPMVV Vice-Chancellor Uma Vennam said that the conference aimed at successfully implementing NEP-2020 reforms, designing SWAYAM Plus modules, and promoting co-creation of curriculum through constructive discussions.

Registrar R. Usha urged the participants to share their respective AEDP experiences and collaboratively create a comprehensive roadmap.

UGC Joint Secretary Avichal Kapur, conference coordinators Vidyavathi and Shobha Rani took part.