Mumbai: All research and consultancy assignments across institutions under the state’s Skill Development Department will now be reserved exclusively for Indian firms. Announcing this policy shift, Skill, Entrepreneurship, Employment and Innovation Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said that consultancy and research support, earlier outsourced to foreign players, will henceforth be entrusted only to domestic companies.
The move will cover the preparation of policy frameworks, employment-related research reports, curriculum design for ITIs, and specialised workshops. Lodha confirmed that the department’s formal guidelines on the matter will soon be issued to the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ij had, a decade ago, launched the ‘Make in India’ campaign to boost indigenous enterprise. Since then, Indian firms across diverse sectors have made their mark, with a wave of startups and homegrown consultancies emerging strongly. “We are now extending the spirit of swadeshi to the research and consultancy ecosystem as well,” Lodha remarked.
He further said that under the guidance of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ji, vocational and technical training institutes in the state are undergoing extensive modernisation. “While embracing global standards, it is equally important that indigenous firms—rooted in Indian ideas and values—play a central role in this transformation,” he added.
The new directive will be applicable to institutions including the Ratna Tata Maharashtra Skill University, the Maharashtra State Innovation Society, affiliated agencies, as well as the department’s Employment Service offices. The Skill Development Department, Lodha said, is working to open up employment opportunities for Indian youth in global markets while ensuring the creation of highly skilled professionals. Indian consultancy firms will now also have a meaningful role to play in this endeavour.
Highlighting Prime Minister Modi’s vision of making India an economic superpower by 2047, Lodha stressed that offering opportunities to Indian companies across key sectors is part of that roadmap. “This decision will not only accelerate India’s economic momentum but also enhance the global reputation of our homegrown firms,” he observed.
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