FM says govt to redouble focus on skilling youth, pitches for AI inclusion in education curriculum

FM rued that there is a gap between industry's requirements and fresh grads' capabilities and said the government's efforts are focused on bridging the same.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said the government will redouble its focus on skilling the youth to make them industry-ready and also pitched for the inclusion of artificial intelligence (AI) in educational curricula.

FM says govt to redouble focus on skilling youth, pitches for AI inclusion in education curriculum

Speaking at the Finance Express Leadership Awards 2026 event here, Sitharaman rued that there is a gap between industry's requirements and fresh graduates' capabilities and said the government's efforts are focused on bridging the same.

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She said industry representatives have repeatedly flagged that the skill sets of graduates coming out of colleges are insufficient, which forces employers to train young graduates for over six months before they are deployed.

"The government will also be doing quite a lot towards giving skilling importance, bridging that gap of expectation between the entrepreneurs, businesses, industry and the youth who come to the job market," she said.

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The minister added that the government has already started training youths and giving them appropriate skill sets to get them job-ready since the last two budgets.

"Now, we want to spend time training youth and giving them the skill sets so that they will be job-ready. We've already started doing that through the last two budgets. More is to happen. We'll keep doing that," she said.

Sitharaman emphasised the need to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into the education system, saying that while industries, including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), need to adopt the technology to improve productivity, there is also a requirement for trained manpower capable of working with AI.

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"We also need manpower who will work with AI for us. And that's where I would think our school curriculum, college curriculum, and professional colleges all need that extracurricular input for youth to come out job-ready," she said.

Further, on the protests, the minister said opposition parties place more importance on street protests rather than debates in Parliament, and that regime change happens every five years, but through the voting and electoral process.

"Your statements periodically, meaning Opposition statements periodically, put more importance on street protests rather than debates. It gives a feeling, and that's why I think somebody responded by saying, ' Do we want to change government? Because that was also one of the things that has been talked about, regime change. All right, regime change happens every five years. It happens through the voting and electoral process," she added.

In the comments that came days after the Opposition's 'mock Parliament' session to impeach the Chief Election Commissioner, Sitharaman said she would want healthy debates in Parliament rather than such mock parliaments.

Without naming the Congress, she said the party, having around 100 members in the Lok Sabha, does not sit through a debate in the House, walks away when the government tries to answer its allegations or shouts down speakers, and is absent during a vote.

The illogic and inconsistency with which the Opposition party is being led is questionable to the people of India, she said, adding that the Opposition parties are undermining the people of India by giving messages of instability.