New Delhi : Under the chairpersonship of Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble
Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, the
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today convened the
first meeting of SARTHI – Strategic Advisory and Reforms Taskforce for Holistic
ITI Transformation at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The meeting marks a landmark
effort to strengthen India’s vocational training ecosystem and institutionalise
long-term reforms across Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
Participating in
the deliberations were Ministers from various States, including Col.
Rajyavardhan Rathore, Hon’ble Minister of Industries & Commerce,
Information Technology & Communication, Youth Affairs & Sports, Skills,
Employment & Entrepreneurship and Soldier Welfare Department, Government of
Rajasthan; Shri Kunvarjibhai Bavaliya, Hon’ble Minister for Labour, Skill
Development & Employment and Rural Development, Government of Gujarat; Dr. G
Vivek Venkatswamy, Hon’ble Minister for Labour, Employment, Training, Factories
and Mines & Geology, Government of Telangana; and Shri Kapil Dev Agarwal, Hon’ble
Minister of State (Independent Charge), Vocational Education, Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, along with senior
government officials and other stakeholders from the skilling ecosystem.
SARTHI has been
established as an apex advisory platform under the Craftsmen Training Scheme
(CTS) to enable structured engagement among stakeholders and support
evidence-based policy deliberations for strengthening Industrial Training
Institutes (ITIs) across the country.
Addressing the
meet, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State for Education,
Government of India, said, “SARTHI reflects our collective commitment to
reimagining vocational education and building an ITI ecosystem that is more
dynamic, aspirational and aligned with the opportunities of a changing India.
Across the country, we are already witnessing promising examples of innovation
and reform. The objective of SARTHI is to connect these efforts, enable shared
learning and help successful models scale across India. Today’s discussions
reinforced that skilling reforms must remain closely linked to emerging
sectors, industry demand and learner aspirations. As India moves towards the
vision of Viksit Bharat, our focus must be on translating policy into
implementation at scale, strengthening partnerships and ensuring that every
young person has access to high-quality, future-ready opportunities.”
During the
meeting, members deliberated on a broad range of themes aimed at strengthening
the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of the ITI ecosystem to emerging
workforce and industry requirements. Discussions covered approaches to
improving institutional performance and quality assurance, promoting excellence
and learner engagement, strengthening assessment processes and leveraging
technology to improve efficiency and transparency.
Members also
exchanged views on increasing women’s participation in vocational education,
expanding access through innovative delivery models and creating stronger
pathways between education, skilling and employment. Deliberations further
focused on enhancing practical learning, promoting innovation and
entrepreneurship, strengthening industry engagement and improving institutional
governance mechanisms within ITIs.
Overall, the
discussions reflected a shared commitment towards building a more inclusive,
future-ready and outcome-oriented vocational training ecosystem through
continued collaboration between the Centre, States and other stakeholders.
Smt. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, MSDE; Shri Dilip Kumar, Director General (Training), Directorate General of Training (DGT); Smt. Archana Mayaram, Economic Advisor, MSDE; Shri M. Subramanian, Joint Secretary, MSDE; Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Gaba, Executive Member, NCVET; along with other senior officials from the MSDE, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, State Governments, DGT, NCVET, NSDC, UGC, and Skill Universities, were present on the occasion.New Delhi, 12 June 2026: Under the chairpersonship of Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State for Education, Government of India, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today convened the first meeting of SARTHI – Strategic Advisory and Reforms Taskforce for Holistic ITI Transformation at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The meeting marks a landmark effort to strengthen India’s vocational training ecosystem and institutionalise long-term reforms across Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).
Participating in
the deliberations were Ministers from various States, including Col.
Rajyavardhan Rathore, Hon’ble Minister of Industries & Commerce,
Information Technology & Communication, Youth Affairs & Sports, Skills,
Employment & Entrepreneurship and Soldier Welfare Department, Government of
Rajasthan; Shri Kunvarjibhai Bavaliya, Hon’ble Minister for Labour, Skill
Development & Employment and Rural Development, Government of Gujarat; Dr. G
Vivek Venkatswamy, Hon’ble Minister for Labour, Employment, Training, Factories
and Mines & Geology, Government of Telangana; and Shri Kapil Dev Agarwal, Hon’ble
Minister of State (Independent Charge), Vocational Education, Skill Development
and Entrepreneurship Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, along with senior
government officials and other stakeholders from the skilling ecosystem.
SARTHI has been
established as an apex advisory platform under the Craftsmen Training Scheme
(CTS) to enable structured engagement among stakeholders and support
evidence-based policy deliberations for strengthening Industrial Training
Institutes (ITIs) across the country.
Addressing the
meet, Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and Minister of State for Education,
Government of India, said, “SARTHI reflects our collective commitment to
reimagining vocational education and building an ITI ecosystem that is more
dynamic, aspirational and aligned with the opportunities of a changing India.
Across the country, we are already witnessing promising examples of innovation
and reform. The objective of SARTHI is to connect these efforts, enable shared
learning and help successful models scale across India. Today’s discussions
reinforced that skilling reforms must remain closely linked to emerging
sectors, industry demand and learner aspirations. As India moves towards the
vision of Viksit Bharat, our focus must be on translating policy into
implementation at scale, strengthening partnerships and ensuring that every
young person has access to high-quality, future-ready opportunities.”
During the
meeting, members deliberated on a broad range of themes aimed at strengthening
the quality, accessibility and responsiveness of the ITI ecosystem to emerging
workforce and industry requirements. Discussions covered approaches to
improving institutional performance and quality assurance, promoting excellence
and learner engagement, strengthening assessment processes and leveraging
technology to improve efficiency and transparency.
Members also
exchanged views on increasing women’s participation in vocational education,
expanding access through innovative delivery models and creating stronger
pathways between education, skilling and employment. Deliberations further
focused on enhancing practical learning, promoting innovation and
entrepreneurship, strengthening industry engagement and improving institutional
governance mechanisms within ITIs.
Overall, the
discussions reflected a shared commitment towards building a more inclusive,
future-ready and outcome-oriented vocational training ecosystem through
continued collaboration between the Centre, States and other stakeholders.
Smt. Debashree
Mukherjee, Secretary, MSDE; Shri Dilip Kumar, Director General (Training),
Directorate General of Training (DGT); Smt. Archana Mayaram, Economic Advisor,
MSDE; Shri M. Subramanian, Joint Secretary, MSDE; Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar Gaba,
Executive Member, NCVET; along with other senior officials from the MSDE, Ministry
of Labour and Employment, Government of India, State Governments, DGT, NCVET, NSDC,
UGC, and Skill Universities, were present on the occasion.