MSDE’s Breakout Session on
“Strengthening India’s Care Ecosystem: Skilling 1.5 Lakh Multiskilled Caregivers”
brings together global and national stakeholders
Hon’ble Prime Minister calls for
scalable models to strengthen India’s human capital and care economy
New Delhi : The Post-Budget Webinar 2026 on the theme “Sabka Saath
Sabka Vikas – Fulfilling Aspirations of People” was organised bringing together
policymakers, industry leaders, multilateral institutions, private
organisations, etc. to deliberate on the effective implementation of the Union
Budget 2026–27 announcements. The webinar is part of the Government’s annual
post-Budget consultation process aimed at translating policy announcements into
actionable implementation frameworks.
Addressing the gathering, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi emphasised that the Union Budget provides a roadmap for
building a future-ready workforce and strengthening human capital for a
Viksit Bharat, highlighting the need for scalable models, innovation-driven
growth and stronger linkages between education, skilling and the real economy.
Shri Jayant Chaudhary Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education,
Government of India also participated in the Inaugural session. In the
concluding Session, he highlighted the strategic importance of the care economy
in India’s growth trajectory. He said, “The care economy represents both a
social priority and an economic opportunity for India. Through the Budget
announcement to train 1.5 lakh multiskilled caregivers, we are building a
professional ecosystem that combines healthcare, wellness and assistive
technologies while creating dignified employment opportunities, particularly
for women. Recognising language as a skill and strengthening global mobility
pathways will further enhance employability in international markets. Through
partnerships with countries such as Japan and Israel, India is advancing skill
diplomacy and emerging as a trusted provider of skilled talent to the world,
reinforcing our journey towards becoming the global skill capital.”
As a part of the Post-Budget Webinar, Ministry of Skill
Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) steered a dedicated breakout session on
the sub-theme “Strengthening India’s Care Ecosystem: Skilling 1.5 Lakh
Multiskilled Caregivers” in blended mode.
In her opening remarks, Ms. Debashree Mukherjee,
Secretary, MSDE, underscored the importance of building a robust,
quality-driven training ecosystem to support the emerging care economy. She
said, “As we move forward with the Budget announcement on strengthening
India’s care ecosystem, our focus is on developing a structured and
quality-driven training framework that prepares multiskilled caregivers to meet
emerging care needs. Equally important is ensuring dignity, recognition and
credible career pathways for caregivers through professional training and
standardised certification.”
While welcoming the participants, Ms. Manisha Sensarma,
Senior Economic Adviser, MSDE, outlined the strategic vision behind the budget
announcement to train 1.5 lakh multiskilled caregivers, aimed at
addressing rising domestic demand from an ageing population as well as global
shortages of care and allied healthcare professionals. She highlighted that the
initiative seeks to enable transition of the informal workforce into a
structured National Caregiver Ecosystem, integrating healthcare skills with
wellness practices while leveraging programmes to expand training and enhance
employability.
The session brought together an eminent panel of stakeholders
including Shri Prashant Pise, Additional Secretary, Ministry of External
Affairs; Shri Gyanendra Dev Tripathi, Principal Secretary, Skill, Employment
& Entrepreneurship, Government of Assam; Shri Jagadish Chelani, Executive
Director, Meghalaya State Skill Development Society; Ms. Mia Oka, Country
Director, Asian Development Bank; Shri Bharath Visweswaraya, Executive Director
India, British Asian Trust; Ms. Giorgia Varisco, Chief of Youth &
Adolescent Development, UNICEF; Prof. (Dr.) S. P. Singh, Director General, Kaushalya
– The Skill University; Dr. Srinivasa Rao Pulijala, CEO, Apollo MedSkills Ltd.;
Mr. K. Ganesh, Promoter & Director, Portea Medical; Mr. Sandeep Kumar, Head
HR Operations, Sodexo India; Dr. Karthik N, Managing Director, Athulya Senior
Care; Ms. Sumitra Mishra, CEO, Mobile Creches; Mr. Rajit Mehta, Managing
Director & CEO, Antara Senior Care; Dr. Alexander Thomas, Founding Member,
Vyay Vikas; and Dr. Sunil Kumar M. M., Director, Trivandrum Institute of
Palliative Sciences, among others.
As per the deliberations held during the session, the key action
points inter-alia include developing a structured caregiver career
pathway, with standardized training curriculum and multi-skilling modules;
training of trainers to ensure the availability of sufficient pool of qualified
trainers to ensure quality of training delivery; using the apprenticeship route
as an opportunity for practical training of candidates utilising the network of
hospitals, industries and institutions in this sector; working with respective
State/ UT governments to leverage Skill India International Centres (SIICs) for
international mobility of care professionals; developing a network of credible
training infrastructure utilising ITIs, Healthcare providers, training
institutions for quality training of candidates; Making the details of skilled
care professionals to be available on Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH).
The Post-Budget Webinar witnessed large participation of
various stakeholders through both online and physical modes, including
representatives from States and Union Territories, National Council for
Vocational Education & Training (NCVET), Directorate General of Training
(DGT), National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC) , Sector Skill Councils
(SSCs), Awarding Bodies, Assessment Agencies, industry partners and training
institutions.