Attributed to Mr. Prateek Shukla, Co-Founder and CEO, Masai
Viksit Bharat doesn’t happen through government training programs. It happens when companies and educational institutions stop working separately and start building together.
We expect Budget 2026 to fund three things that actually work.
First, co-investment in industry-academia partnerships. When a company co-designs curriculum with a college or training platform, both should get tax incentives—not separate spending, but joint funding. Curriculum designed by committees fails. Curriculum designed with employers who’ll actually hire the graduates works.
Second, outcome-based accountability. Government funding should flow to institutions based on results, placement rates, salary progression, skill validation, and not enrollment numbers. Right now, institutions get money for admissions. They should get money for employment. That changes everything about how content is built and delivered.
Third, infrastructure for skill delivery at scale. AI-driven personalized learning platforms, regional language content, and low-bandwidth accessibility aren’t nice-to-haves—they’re how you reach Tier-2 and Tier-3 talent at scale. Budget 2026 should fund platforms that make quality, outcome-driven skilling accessible across India, not concentrated in metros.
Women in tech, freshers in emerging skills, and regional talent—these aren’t diversity initiatives. They’re talent multiplication. Budget incentives that make companies invest in these segments directly unlock India’s real competitive advantage.
Viksit Bharat is built when education stops being a credential factory and becomes a talent pipeline. Budget 2026 should fund that shift.
