Home / Economy / News / CabSec seeks programmes in colleges to build an advanced Indian economy

Sources said the directions include preparing a model to improve employability and upskilling opportunities for ITI students, besides rejigging method for awarding them degrees

Sanjeeb Mukherjee New Delhi 3 min read Last Updated : Aug 21 2026 | 10:40 PM IST

The Cabinet Secretariat has directed major rural, agriculture, social and welfare ministries to design programmes in universities and colleges to build a youth movement towards making India an advanced economy.

The directions focus on youth, universities, technical and industrial training institutes, and agricultural universities. They also call for process reforms and deregulation in the pharmaceutical sector, keeping in view the rapidly evolving scientific environment.

The ministries have also been asked to identify gaps in rules, regulations, processes and systems to facilitate reforms.

Sources said the directions include preparing a model to improve employability and upskilling opportunities for Industrial Training Institute (ITI) students, besides rejigging the method for awarding them degrees.

The ministries and departments were also encouraged to use domestic digital, artificial intelligence (AI) and messaging platforms such as Zoho, Sarvam and Arattai to ensure the safety of government data. The letter follows a high-level meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi held with secretaries of major social, agriculture and rural ministries.

Sources said the secretaries have also been asked to map demand for skilled human resources across sectors and tailor training programmes accordingly to meet global demand. One example discussed was linking the Northeastern states with Japan.

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