India is fulfilling Ambedkar's dream through Skill India Mission: PM Modi on World Youth Skill Day

For the second time in four months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referenced Dr BR Ambedkar during a public address — this time to talk up his much-favoured Skill India Mission. While speaking virtually during an address for World Youth Skill Day, Modi on Thursday said, "The nation is fulfilling this visionary dream of Babasaheb through Skill India Mission." Earlier this year in April, the PM had asked Vice-Chancellors of several varieties to include lessons on the 'Father of the Constitution, as Ambedkar is popularly referred to — for young people to understand his vision. 

With his speech being livestreamed on all social media platforms, the Prime Minister went ahead to explain how some of their programmes were targetted at "skilling the weaker sections of society" — which, in Modi's opinion, embodied what Ambedkar stood for. "For example, programs like Going Online As Leaders (GOAL) are helping tribal population with areas like art and culture, handicraft, textiles and digital literacy among tribal areas leading to entrepreneurship development among the tribal population. Similarly, Van Dhan Yojna is effectively connecting the tribal society with new opportunities. In the coming days, we need to make such campaigns more widespread and make ourselves and the country Atmanirbhar through skilling," he added.

He said that the skill development of the new generation is a national need and is the foundation of Atmanirbhar Bharat as “this generation will take our republic from 75 years to 100 years.” Modi also said that, "one of the core strategies should be providing smart and skilled manpower solutions to the world."

During the programme in April, the PM had said, "We are going forward the way that Dr Ambedkar showed us through our Constitution. Democracy is a part of our lives today. As we read to understand him, we realise that he was someone with a universal vision," said Modi. He also asked the universities to include parts of his literature, the history of Dalits and women's struggles in the curriculum for young people to read and understand Ambedkar. "He gave importance to knowledge, self-respect and politeness and showed us the way forward," he had said in April.