Over 8,00,000 students and faculty members participate in Jan Bhagidari Events in first six days, fostering people’s engagement for G20 Education Meet

• The events under Jan Bhagidari began from June 1st and witnessed the participation of over 7,000 institutes across the country
• The events were in line with the overall theme of the presidency – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and will focus on foundational literacy and numeracy, the theme for the upcoming fourth G20 Education Working Group

CHANDIGARH, June 8, 2023: In the first six days of the Jan Bhagidari events, more than 8,00,000 students and faculty members participated in 14,000+ events conducted by over 7,000 institutes across the country. Commencing from June 1st, these initiatives, which were launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) as the precursor to the upcoming fourth G20 Education Working Group Meet scheduled from 19th to 22nd in Pune, are expected to play a pivotal role in creating interest, awareness and participation of common people including women and youth.

Aligned with Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s call to make “Jan Bhagidari” a ‘People’s Movement’ a strong element of India’s G20 Presidency, the events are being implemented by 3000+ Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), 11,000+ private ITIs, 200+ Jan Shikshan Sansthans (JSS), 500+ Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs), 1000+ industry associations, 100+ Sector Skill Councils across 35 states and union territories. The maximum participation (4,00,000+ students and faculty members) happened from ITIs in the first six days followed by JSS (1,00,000+) and PMKKs (56,000+) respectively. Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh witnessed the maximum participation of students and staff (2,50,000+ and 1,00,000 respectively), followed by Chhattisgarh (57,000+), Rajasthan (46,000+), Maharashtra (42,000+) and Madhya Pradesh (39,000+).

As part of these unique events, several activities were organised to boost people’s participation. Already 3000+ tree plantation drives, 1400+ Swacchata Campaigns, 800+ entrepreneurship quiz competitions, 750+ rangoli competitions, and 7800+ debate competitions have been held. All these events have witnessed participation from thousands of students and faculty. The other key tasks of the Jan Bhagidari events are conducting capacity building sessions for the institutions, mapping institutions for the conduct of the events, developing web-portal, etc.

Moreover, to commemorate World Environment Day on June 5th, several institutions like NSTI Hyderabad, ITIs in Chhattisgarh, Security and Social Welfare Association Bhopal, organised tree plantation drives. A total of 1,73,486 students and staff participated in the plantation drives. The institutions have also organised 300+ cyclothos and more than 15,000 students and faculty members have participated in them. Going forward, there will be wall painting and essay competitions, skill hackathons, skill showcase competitions, skill Olympiad and yoga competitions – all in line with the overall theme of the summit – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’.

Lauding the Jan Bhagidari events, Shri Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, said, “The Jan Bhagidari events emphasize the crucial role of people’s participation in nation-building, particularly the youth, reinforcing our belief in their power. Active citizen engagement shapes our diverse and democratic country’s trajectory, ensuring government actions align with people’s needs. Initiatives like the Jan Bhagidari events foster a sense of ownership and collective responsibility, nurturing a shared commitment to shaping the outcomes of the G20. I firmly believe in the transformative potential of such initiatives in influencing the G20’s trajectory.”

The Jan Bhagidari events will also witness webinar series on new age courses, training of trainers, digital courses, skill masterclasses, career counselling sessions, expert lectures by industry speakers, apprenticeship awareness workshops to raise awareness about the future of work, green economy and the importance of lifelong learning.

The primary objective of these Jan Bhagidari events will be to enhance global cooperation and assistance in establishing a foundation for foundational literacy and numeracy, which is the main theme of the fourth G20 Education Working Group meeting. Discussions will revolve around providing a positive push towards these areas. The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 has also focused on the attainment of foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) for all children as an “urgent national mission”.

Assuming the presidency of the G20 Leaders’ Summit has come at a crucial time when world leaders and policymakers are aligning their efforts for the growth of the global economy. The summit gives us the opportunity to not only position India as the global skill hub but also as a global supplier of the workforce for other countries to overcome skill shortages and meet unmet demands.