Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said it was important to be relevant during the coronavirus pandemic as businesses and markets are changing at a rapid speed. He made the comments while addressing a digital conclave on World Youth Skills Day.

“The mantra to stay relevant in times of coronavirus is to skill, re-skill and upskill,” the prime minister said. “If there is no desire to learn anything new, then life comes to a halt. Skill is timeless and unique, it’s a treasure that nobody can take away from you.”

Modi added that skill is the actual ability to do things, which not only makes one employable but self employable. “Knowledge is different from skill,” he said. “If the gap between knowledge and skill is bridged, entrepreneurship is encouraged. Our government has been working on this mantra since the last five years.”

In a rapidly changing world, Modi said, millions of skilled people are needed. He pointed out that there is a huge potential in health services currently. “Along with work culture, the nature of job has also changed and the ever-changing new technology has also been affected, but youth is gaining new skills in the changing times,” he continued.

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The prime minister spoke about the migrant workers who returned to their home states during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, saying they have started rejuvenating villages with their special skill set. “Someone is painting the school, while someone is building a house with a new design,” he said.

A record 29,429 new coronavirus infections were reported in the last 24 hours, taking India’s total to over 9.36 lakh cases. The toll rose by 582 to 24,309. More than 5.92 lakh people have recovered.

The World Youth Skills Day is an event recognised by the United Nations and is celebrated on July 15 every year. This year’s event is focussed on the importance of developing skilled youth.