WTC Mumbai Joins Hands with MY Bharat to Strengthen Youth Engagement and Skilling
“On its journey to becoming a developed nation, the Indian economy is currently facing a dichotomy. While the country grapples with youth unemployment, industries are simultaneously raising concerns about the shortage of a skilled workforce. India has the world’s largest youth population, and a robust skilling ecosystem is critical to ensure that this demographic becomes a productive asset. If India is to realize its vision of becoming a developed economy by 2047, it must scale up its GDP per worker by six to seven times,” said Dr. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, World Trade Center Mumbai and President, All India Association of Industries (AIAI), at an interactive meeting on MY Bharat, an initiative of the Government of India, held at WTC Mumbai. The event was jointly organized by WTC Mumbai and AIAI.
Dr. Kalantri emphasized the significance of the MY Bharat initiative. He stated, “Youth are the future of our country. Indian youth are known for their constructive work and ideas. The initiative is an effort to engage with the youth meaningfully. WTC Mumbai is proud to contribute to the Prime Minister’s vision of upskilling India. We are already playing a small role through our Skill Centre, which conducts various programs aimed at upskilling MSMEs, women entrepreneurs, and startups.”
Speaking on the vision of MY Bharat, Mr. Raghavendra Singh, Product Head – Strategy and Marketing, MY Bharat, said, “In October 2023, the Prime Minister of India laid out a plan to create a platform for the youth, connecting them with government bodies, knowledge institutions, non-profit organizations, and for-profit enterprises. Leveraging the power of technology and AI, this platform is designed to match youth with relevant opportunities based on the profiles created by both youth and institutions on the MY Bharat platform. We began within the government ecosystem and have since expanded to include knowledge institutions, NGOs, and private sector organizations. I am pleased to announce that the platform now has approximately 1.75 crore youth profiles, most of which are publicly accessible.”
Highlighting the features of the platform, Mr. Singh added, “MY Bharat is the first of its kind DIY platform with features not seen in any existing social platform. It offers a ‘phygital’ (physical + digital) setup with experiential learning programs, volunteering opportunities, quizzes, and mentoring. Youth across the country, including those in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, can access these opportunities—made possible by the might of the government.”
Mr. Singh also underscored the potential for partnerships through the platform. He said, “The MY Bharat portal allows businesses to collaborate by creating their own dedicated pages on this government platform to provide opportunities to the youth. I would like to point out that WTC Mumbai and AIAI were among the first not-for-profit organizations to reach out for collaboration. We hope companies in the audience will come onboard. The first step—building the platform—has been taken. Now it is up to you, the companies, to guide us on what features the portal should include and what the youth truly need. This is where the collective intelligence of organizations becomes essential, and the expertise of institutions like WTC Mumbai plays a vital role by creating a feedback loop.”
He further noted, “Another reason to sign up is the government’s recognition of contributions made via the platform—especially through government-backed certificates for learning programs—and the ability to access the youth of the nation through a single platform.”
Mr. Singh also gave the audience a live demonstration of the platform, showcasing the various causes currently active and how users engage with them.
The event concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session.
Captain Somesh Batra, Vice Chairman, WTC Mumbai, proposed the vote of thanks.
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