New Delhi: The government on Wednesday launched the Skill India Digital Platform to bring all skilling initiatives under a single umbrella and provide skill development and entrepreneurial support to people.

More than 264 skilling courses from 42,623 centres from across the country will be available under the platform, which will also provide opportunities for job exchange, apprenticeship, and entrepreneurship.

Skill India Digital Platform application can be downloaded on the app store and Google Play Store and is available in multiple Indian languages, according to an official statement.

Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister for Education and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said India's unique focus on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) was aimed at building digital networking accessible to all, including plans to provide optical fibre infrastructure to six lakh villages in the next three years.

He said these initiatives would significantly benefit the neo-middle class and the middle class.

"Driven by the vision to make skill development more innovative, accessible, and personalised in its embodiment, focusing on digital technology and Industry 4.0 skills, the state-of the-art platform will be a breakthrough in accelerating skilled talent hiring, facilitating lifelong learning and career advancement," the statement said.

The platform aligns with the vision articulated in the G20 framework for building DPI and the digital economy, it said.

It is also a comprehensive information gateway for all government skilling and entrepreneurship initiatives -- a go-to hub for citizens in pursuit of career advancement and lifelong learning, according to the statement.

"Skill India Digital is at the intersection of two of the most important components of PM Modi ji's vision for New India -- Skill India & Digital India," Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Minister of State, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship & Electronics, IT, said.

"These are powerful schemes with the sole objective of preparing the youth with future-ready skills. This will help create many opportunities. In this post-Covid world, there is a tremendous awareness of digital skills and Skill India Digital will enable entrepreneurship and future-ready workforce," he said.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the event, Chandrasekhar said the government has plans to scale the reach of the Skill India Digital platform as the entire workforce of 50 crore people is potentially a target, along with all students studying in the sixth standard and above.

"We certainly want this app to become as exciting and aspirational as Insta Reels or other platforms," he said.

"My assessment is that jobs in the Digital market are growing 2.5 times as compared to those in the non-digital space," he said, in response to a question.

During the event, several MoUs were signed with leading organisations to advance digital skilling, fostering industry participation, and enhancing learner engagement, the statement added.