The University Grants Commission (UGC) has written to higher education institutions (HEIs) across the country asking them to disseminate information among students and faculty about a post-Budget webinar on ‘Education, Skills and University Towns’ scheduled to be held on Monday (9 March).
The webinar is part of the post-Budget series on key topics organized by the Ministry of Finance after the Union Budget 2026-27. It aims to discuss the effective implementation of major budget announcements that require inter-ministerial coordination and shared responsibilities for improving education and skills. The Department of Education’s Department of Higher Education (DoHE) is leading the organization of the webinar.
“The topic of the webinar will cover important Budget announcements, among others, related to education, skills, creative industries, inclusive capacity building and institutional infrastructure, which require close coordination among relevant ministries and departments for timely and result-oriented implementation,” UGC Financial Advisor Sudip Singh Jain said in a letter to higher education institutions dated March 6, 2026.
The UGC has asked all higher education institutions to widely disseminate information among students and faculty attending the webinar, stating that the discussions will focus on “issues that have far-reaching implications for the higher education sector”. Organizations were also asked to join the opening, breakout and closing sessions through YouTube links shared by the committee.
The webinar will begin with an opening session by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by parallel breakout sessions on specific budget announcements related to education and skills, and closing remarks by Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
In the Union Budget 2026-27, the government announced the formation of a high-level standing committee titled ‘Education for Employment and Enterprise’ for the services sector, setting up of animation, visual effects, games and comics (AVGC) laboratories in 15,000 schools, setting up of a new National Institute of Design in eastern India, new university towns and four telescope infrastructure facilities.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) said it will host a dedicated sub-session on ‘Strengthening India’s Care Ecosystem: Qualifying 1.5 Lakh Multi-Skilled Caregivers’ as part of the webinar series.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her Budget speech, announced that 1.5 lakh caregivers will be trained through programs aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), a competency-based framework that organizes qualifications into 10 levels based on knowledge, skills and aptitude.
“Discussions during the session will focus on developing a strong caregiving workforce capable of meeting India’s growing domestic needs while also tapping into emerging global opportunities in the care economy,” MSDE said.
Insights from side discussions will be provided during the concluding session of the webinar, where Union Ministers from participating ministries and departments will outline key recommendations and ways forward for the strategic implementation of the Budget announcements, the ministry said.
