India must bridge gap between IITs and ITIs, says Subroto Bagchi
The Skill Vision Group chairman warned that white-collar success in Bengaluru has left non-urban areas behind.
Subroto Bagchi, the chairman of Karnataka’s Skill Vision Group, called for a radical transformation of India's vocational education system at the Bengaluru Skill Summit on Wednesday. Speaking at the three-day event, the Mindtree co-founder argued that the success of Bengaluru's biotechnology, aerospace, and information technology sectors has left the non-urban world behind, according to The Hindu.
Bagchi stated that India must close the disparity between premier engineering institutions and grassroots technical schools. He noted that while the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) have progressed since the 1950s, the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have moved backwards. He warned that without synchronised focus, the country may produce visionaries capable of design but lack a workforce to execute.
To address this imbalance, Bagchi advocated for Karnataka’s inclusive skill policy. The policy aims to provide school dropouts from the fifth, eighth, and tenth standards with economic roles previously held by corporate professionals. He also emphasised scaling agricultural skills and nano-entrepreneurship, noting that artificial intelligence can wait if there is no bread on the table.
The technocrat highlighted recent societal unrest in Nepal, Bangladesh, and France, identifying the need for livelihood security and youth transparency as core drivers. He urged leaders to ensure structural programmes are grounded in quality and a commitment to including rural communities.
Bagchi expressed his intention to develop the Bengaluru Skill Summit into a global forum for the skill sector within five years. He aims to attract international CEOs to India to discuss human capital.