PM’s focus on Northeast opportunities for youth boosts confidence: Union Minister

Union Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Minister Jayant Chaudhary on January 20 said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sustained focus on unlocking opportunities for the youth of the Northeast has significantly boosted confidence across the region.

Addressing the IndiaSkills Regional Competition 2025–26 for the Northeast at Gauhati University here, Chaudhary said the region possesses immense talent and aspiration, and its youth are ready to play a decisive role in building India’s skilled workforce and contributing meaningfully to national growth.

The minister underlined the importance of skill development and entrepreneurship in alignment with the National Education Policy 2020, stressing that closer integration between education and skill ecosystems would enhance employability, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning. He said such convergence is essential to prepare young people for a rapidly evolving economy.

The IndiaSkills Regional Competition is being organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, with the National Skill Development Corporation as the implementation partner, and is being held in the Northeast for the first time. Chaudhary said the competition is not merely about winning medals but about celebrating excellence, discipline, and the dignity of work.

He noted that the regional event reflects the growing strength of the skill ecosystem in the Northeast, supported by Industrial Training Institutes, NSTIs, and other training institutions that are increasingly aligned with national platforms. Participants from across the region are competing in diverse skill categories spanning traditional and contemporary sectors such as automobile technology, cloud computing, electronics, CNC milling and turning, welding, electrical installations, fashion technology, bakery and patisserie, retail, media, and visual merchandising.

Highlighting a key trend, the minister said the competition has seen increasing participation of women in core technical and traditionally male-dominated trades, including automobile technology, electronics, CNC, electrical installations, and welding. He added that this reflects a broader convergence of digital skills with manufacturing and services, preparing youth for Industry 4.0–linked roles.

Chaudhary also said platforms such as IndiaSkills play a critical role in aligning regional talent with industry demand and national development priorities. He explained that the competition follows a structured, multi-tier evaluation process, beginning at the district level, progressing through state and regional rounds, and culminating in the IndiaSkills National Competition.

Top performers from the regional stage will qualify for the national finals, where they will be evaluated against national benchmarks, with select winners earning the opportunity to represent India at the WorldSkills Competition to be held in Shanghai in September 2026.

The minister said the growing scale and diversity of participation from the Northeast signal a new phase of confidence, aspiration, and readiness among the region’s youth, driven by focused policy support and expanding skill infrastructure.