By 2016, 8% of world’s skilled jobs will come from Uttar Pradesh: APJ Abdul Kalam

Addressing a packed hall at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Convention Centre, former President APJ Abdul Kalam said sustainable development models should be deployed in a highly populated state for economic development.

He said India will become a developed nation when all its states are developed. Such a model will be a huge leap for economic development in other states, Kalam said.

He was addressing the 9th Annual Nehru Memorial Lecture on JNU’s foundation day. The theme was Dynamics of National Development.

“We did an in-depth study of Uttar Pradesh. Of over a billion Indians, 200 million live in that state. The salient feature of the state is the creation of an economic map and a skill map, which we later matched. We also introduced social entrepreneurs and resource entrepreneurs for infrastructural empowerment of the state.”

Kalam said the validated model can easily be applied by other states for development as UP is the third largest economy in the nation and richly endowed with natural and human resources. “Every fifth Indian youth is in UP. My expert friends tell me that by 2016, of every 100 skilled jobs being generated around the world, about eight can come directly from Uttar Pradesh alone,” he said.

Kalam said with this background, the government, industry and academic institutions and corporate sector have a tremendous opportunity and a significant role in the development of the state, which would ensure the development of

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