Left to Right:Dr Chandra Bhushan, CEO iFOREST; Dr Shamika Ravi, Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister; Shri Niranjan Sudhansu, IAS, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship; Ms Srestha Banerjee, Director, Just Transition
Significantly, nature-based solutions — including agroforestry, forest restoration and mangrove restoration — could account for around 41.5 lakh jobs, the report said. Indians aged 15-29 make up around 27% of the population, but just 5.3% have technical education and about 5% formal vocational training, according to the report.
We have degrees, but we don’t have skills, and the market is now saying it will reward only skill,” said Shamika Ravi, member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister. “Skilling is not an end in itself; job creation is the outcome we must keep in sight,” Ravi said. Waste management, pollution control and the circular economy could generate substantial additional employment. The opportunity, however, comes with a major skills challenge. She stressed that skilling policies would need to respond to local labour markets rather than merely chase training targets.
“Today, the biggest constraint to the growth of every business is finding skilled manpower.
iFOREST president and CEO Chandra Bhushan said India already had the institutions, policy momentum and demographic advantage needed to create a future-ready green workforce. “The priority now is to connect these capabilities to emerging demand,” he said. Niranjan Kumar Sudhansu, additional secretary in the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship, said green jobs and skills were expected to be incorporated into the ongoing revision of the National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.