Improve youths’ skills for ‘Make in India’: Birla

Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said at an event in Bhubaneshwar today that India needs to focus on increasing the skill sets of youth to make the 'Make in India' drive more meaningful.

During a session organised by American news channel CNN during Make in India week, Birla said, "We need to learn a lot of new skills for making global brands, including miniaturization. We are some time away from that. However, this is the right time to start learning new skills," he said.

When asked whether he sees domestic brands emerging sometime soon, Birla said making Indian brands global is something that requires patience, time and product quality.

"I think we are yet to see any brand coming out of India that is truly global," he said.

When asked which sector can make it to the global brand league, he said right now, the opportunity is or consumer brands. But he refused to say whether he will take any of his consumer-facing brands like Idea Cellular global or not.

But he was quick to add, "I think we have a great brand in Idea Cellular. It will be our starting point. However, currently we are focusing on the domestic market".

Birla said the country is highly innovative.

"It (innovation) is part of our DNA. We have a government here which is focusing more on manufacturing than ever before," a statement quoting Birla said.

"The government wants to be a catalyst through its 'Make in India' initiatives. Today, several new opportunities have opened up for the private sector in India, which cannot be ignored," he added.