Davos [Switzerland], January 22 (HBTV): Addressing the gathering at CII's breakfast session in Davos, D Sridhar Babu, Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, and Industries & Commerce, Government of Telangana, highlighted the state's commitment to skill development.

The Confederation of Indian Industry hosted a Breakfast Session on 'Driving Innovation and Talent: India's strategic advantage in Global Capability Centres (GCCs)' at Davos on January 22, 2025.

Babu said, 'The Government of Telangana is working to put young Indians in Skills' University for training, coaching, and tutoring that is required to upskill and reskill employees, as well as people who would like to know about new technologies. This has already started, and it is absolutely industry-driven, where the government only acts as a facilitator.'

Emphasizing the importance of staying ahead in technological advancements, he added, 'As the world is witnessing the next wave of revolution in terms of technology, India should be proud of the talent that we have, and we need to focus on how we move this talent to the next level.'

'We have upscaled our talent to the next level and have become centres of innovation and accelerators. Today, almost every state in India is in the drive for new technologies, operating technologies, or developing centres of excellence. The Government of India, over a period of 2-3 decades, has introduced initiatives like Make in India and Digital India, which have provided a big platform for each state to further move forward,' he added.

Nadir Godrej, Chairman & Managing Director, Godrej Industries Ltd, India, said, 'India is strong in ESG, and there is much progress in green energy. The strong startup ecosystem of the nation is an opportunity for collaboration. Academia, government, and industry can collaborate on new technology. If all of us go to full length, GCCs will go from strength to strength.'

Sanjeev Krishan, Chairperson, PwC, added, 'GCCs in India emerged because of cost arbitrage, but it is no longer the case now. Moreover, there have been very significant efforts made to ensure inclusivity and wholesome growth to make sure that GCCs are spread across the country.'

Mentioning potential areas of collaboration, Girish P Ramachandran, Chair, CII India Business Forum, Singapore, and President-Growth Markets, Tata Consultancy Services, said, 'The three areas of possible future collaboration are: one, countries across the globe can collaborate with India and India's skill development initiatives like the Skill India Mission and partner with Indian academic institutions.'

He added, 'Two, GCCs are no longer limited only to tier-one cities, and we have huge amounts of talent holding across the whole country; and three, India's leadership and digital transformation makes it an ideal location for all to invest in the country. So, as we continue to grow, innovate, and lead, India's GCCs will remain central to driving our global progress.' (ANI)