Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 9 said India is steadily moving towards an innovation-driven economy and called for stronger alignment between the education system and the needs of the real-world
economy.
Addressing the Post-Budget Webinar titled ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas – Fulfilling Aspirations of People’, the prime minister emphasised that India must focus on emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence, automation, the digital economy and design-driven manufacturing to sustain long-term growth.
“India is moving towards an innovation-driven economy,” Modi said, adding that the country must now place greater emphasis on subjects such as AI, automation, digital economy and design-driven manufacturing to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving global landscape.
PM Modi also stressed the need to strengthen the connection between education and employment. “We have to accelerate the process of linking our education system to the real-world economy even further,” he said, underlining that future-ready skills will be critical for India’s workforce.
Highlighting the importance of inclusive growth, Modi said access to opportunities must be ensured for women as the country prepares for emerging technologies. “As we gear up for futuristic technologies, it is crucial that no daughter should be held back due to lack of opportunities,” he said.
The prime minister also spoke about the government’s focus on strengthening healthcare and sports as part of the broader development agenda. He said the government is working towards a preventive and holistic healthcare system, while health infrastructure has seen significant expansion in recent years.
PM Modi further noted that sports are now being viewed as an important pillar of national development, adding that sports infrastructure has been strengthened across the country.
The Post-Budget Webinar is part of the government’s effort to convert policy announcements made in the Union Budget 2026-27 into actionable strategies through consultations with stakeholders.
Multiple breakout sessions will be organised across sectors, including education and skilling, health and AYUSH, tourism and hospitality, among others. Discussions will also focus on initiatives such as strengthening education-to-employment pathways, development of the Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) ecosystem, promotion of Buddhist circuits in the North-East and expansion of heritage tourism.
According to the government, the webinar will provide a platform for collaborative engagement between the government, industry and domain experts to help translate the policy vision outlined in the Budget into concrete implementation strategies aimed at accelerating inclusive growth.
