New Delhi : Highlighting the Government’s commitment to harnessing the aspirations of India’s youth and strengthening the services sector, the Union Budget 2026-27 proposed the creation of a high-powered “Education to Employment and Enterprise” Standing Committee. The initiative aims to support India’s target of achieving a 10 per cent share in the global services market by 2047.
The Committee has been constituted under the chairpersonship of the CEO of NITI Aayog and includes representatives from key Ministries and Departments, State Governments, industry associations, academia, and experts. Members include representatives from the Ministries of Labour and Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Electronics and IT, Commerce, Higher Education, School Education, and Statistics, along with officials from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. Industry bodies such as NASSCOM, FICCI, CII, FISME, and SEPC are also part of the Committee.
NITI Aayog convened the first meeting of the Standing Committee on May 22, 2026, under the chairpersonship of CEO NITI Aayog, Smt. Nidhi Chibber. The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Smt. Debashree Mukherjee, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Ms. Debjani Ghosh, Distinguished Fellow, NITI Aayog, and representatives from government departments, states, industry bodies, and academia.
During the meeting, Dr. Sonia Pant, Programme Director, Services Division, NITI Aayog, delivered a detailed presentation on the services sector’s growing contribution to economic growth and employment generation. Addressing the gathering, Smt. Nidhi Chibber emphasised the need to align education, skilling, and employment ecosystems with the changing needs of the economy. She highlighted that India’s demographic dividend offers a major opportunity to accelerate economic growth through productive employment and entrepreneurship initiatives.
The discussions focused on several critical issues, including labour force participation, youth employment, education and skill alignment, workforce readiness, and the transition of labour towards non-farm sectors. Participants also deliberated on the impact of frontier technologies such as Artificial Intelligence on jobs and skill requirements, as well as the need for stronger industry-oriented skilling pathways.
The Committee observed that the services sector continues to play a key role in India’s economic development by contributing to economic resilience, export competitiveness, quality employment, and integration with global value chains. Members noted that the sector has significant potential to support the vision of a “Viksit Bharat.”
The Committee decided to hold regular meetings to formulate actionable recommendations aimed at improving employability, promoting entrepreneurship, strengthening industry-relevant skilling, and accelerating growth in the services sector. The meeting concluded with a collective commitment to transforming India’s demographic dividend into a growth dividend through coordinated efforts among the Centre, States, industry, academia, and the skilling ecosystem.