Bhubaneswar: A panel discussion on ‘Achieving Aspirations of Rural Youth – Challenges and Avenues’ was organised here Thursday. The discussion was organised by FICCI and Bansidhar & Ila Panda Foundation (BIPF).
Speaking on the objective of the panel discussion, Shaifalika Panda, CEO, BIPF, emphasised on the importance of understanding the ambitions of rural youth, and said, “India’s ability to harness the potential of its demographic dividend will decide its future. To achieve this potential, collective action is required to set up an ecosystem which will address the virtuous cycle of skilling, upskilling and employment generation.”
Panellists deliberated on solutions to the roadblocks in achieving demographic dividend and making the rural youth more productive.
Bijay Sahoo, Group President (HR), Reliance Industries Limited, said, “Aspiration of rural youth is rising beyond the rural hinterlands. They are willing to get educated, develop skills and compete with anybody else in the world. They just need a supporting hand from government, industry and society.”
President & CEO of Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi, Yamini Aiyar highlighted the importance of development of health and education sectors and the challenge of employability of rural youth.