Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw has called for concerted action to build talent and capacity in support of the Viksit Bharat 2047 mission envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a roundtable comprising industry leaders and academia on May 22, he urged stakeholders to accelerate the development of a future-ready workforce to drive India’s manufacturing growth. The roundtable discussion focused on talent development and capacity building for sustainable manufacturing, combining a global perspective with local action. The minister praised the emergence of a new sector, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Technology (MET), an initiative by NAMTECH (New Age Makers Institute of Technology), the MET Innovation School. This initiative aims to meet the demands of Industry 4.0 and beyond, specifically by addressing the talent gap in emerging technologies and preparing a highly skilled workforce and future leaders capable of driving transformative change in India.
Anchored in the Government of India’s vision for Viksit Bharat 2047 and supported by flagship programmes such as Digital India, Skill India, National Manufacturing Mission and sector-specific Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes, this initiative reinforces the national commitment to position India as a global leader in manufacturing and emerging technologies. The government has launched several pioneering missions, including the India Semiconductor Mission, AI Mission, National Robotics Strategy, Mobility Manufacturing Mission, and National Hydrogen Mission, which reflect the priority placed on advanced technology development and adoption. India’s National Education Policy 2020 also emphasises holistic development and the integration of vocational and digital education into mainstream schooling. Complementing these are talent-oriented frameworks such as the Skill India Digital Hub, ITI Upgradation Scheme, Chip to Startup, and the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS)—all of which emphasise industry aligned, inclusive skilling models.Â
Speaking at the launch, Vaishnaw welcomed the team from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), calling it one of the finest institutions globally, which is envisioned as a world-class institute for advanced manufacturing. He also acknowledged industry leaders operating in India such as Suzuki, Siemens, ABB, Inox and others, emphasising that industry participation is essential for making NAMTECH truly impactful and aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision.
Vaishnaw highlighted the success of the Gati Shakti platform as a model for industry-academia collaboration, where companies co-created job ready curricula without any financial investment just by sharing knowledge. He called for replicating such models across sectors to ensure employability from day one. NAMTECH, he noted, aims to skill talent across all levels—shop floor, design, and research— with full government support and MIT’s mentorship to drive innovation and mindset change. Vaishnaw also urged all stakeholders to take the next steps, stating that the opportunity to build something truly transformative is now.
The MET platform complements these national priorities by fostering a collaborative environment that enables knowledge-sharing, capacity building, and infrastructure development. MeitY continues to support such ecosystem-driven initiatives that bridge critical skill gaps, democratise access to advanced technology education, and contribute to India’s global competitiveness in the electronics and manufacturing domains. The event also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NAMTECH and Gati Shakti Vishwavidyalaya (GSV), Vadodara. The MoU, signed in the presence of Prof. Manoj Choudhary, Vice Chancellor of GSV, aims to establish a framework for collaboration to explore and undertake joint initiatives in smart manufacturing, transportation systems, logistics innovation, and future-ready skilling.
NAMTECH has signed a number of MoUs with other partners such as Siemens India, Analog Devices Inc., and Applied Materials Inc. to develop laboratories, training centres, skilling infrastructure, and scholarships in priority sectors such as semiconductors, smart manufacturing, and robotics. All the leading industry leaders and academicians assured they would work together for Viksit Bharat 2047.
