Overview

• At the 58th IIFT convocation in New Delhi, the commerce minister urged the class of 2025 to lead toward Viksit Bharat 2047, while IIFT chancellor Sunil Barthwal called for resilient, adaptable and ethical leadership.
• He highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and quantum computing to transform manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare and education.
• India’s output of about 2.3 million STEM graduates each year and an average population age of 28.4 were cited as demographic strengths for scaling the economy from about $4 trillion to $30–35 trillion.
• Invoking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of technological self-reliance, he shared a Mumbai skill-centre example with CII, NSDC, Kyndryl and IBM to illustrate rapid uptake of new-age technologies such as cybersecurity.
• Pointing to macroeconomic stability, he noted low inflation, India’s status as the fastest-growing large economy and the presence of more than 2,500 international companies operating in the country.