Bhubaneswar: Describing Gen Z as the future of the country and source of new ideas, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday announced a significant skill training push to tap 20 lakh jobs expected in the next five years.
Addressing the 80th Independence Day celebrations in Bhubaneswar, the Chief Minister said job creation is the biggest challenge for today’s youth and the government is focusing on skill training aligned with modern and future employment requirements.
Stating that at least three lakh jobs will be created in the next one or two years, and 20 lakh in five years, Majhi said the government has taken steps to train the youth in skills as per the needs of the industries.
Skill training is being imparted to youth at the World Skill Centre in partnership with Singapore, he said, adding that the government has also decided to open three more new centres of the World Skill Centre,
Odisha’s Skill Model is now considered one of the best in the country in the Best Practices Survey. Under the Excellence ITI scheme for modernization, Centres of Excellence are being established in 25 ITIs across the state and AI Labs are being set up in 13 it is, said Majhi.
Odisha has also emerged as the National Skill Champion in India Skills 2025-26. Odisha’s youth have won 57 medals in various categories. This is not an ordinary achievement. This is a symbol of the bright future of the youth of Odisha, he said.
The Chief Minister also cautioned youth against what he called attempts to mislead them. “For the past few days, some external forces inside and outside the country have been trying to mislead the youth of the country. Because, they do not want to see India as a strong nation. They are well aware that Modi ji will not bow down before them, will not compromise on the interests of the country. So, they are targeting the youth,” he claimed.
“However, our youth knows that whatever problem they have, only Modi ji can solve it,” Majhi added, stressing that the government’s focus is to equip Gen-Z with industry-relevant skills so that they can benefit from the employment opportunities being created in Odisha.
