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 townships” scheduled for Monday (March 9).. Representational image.. The webinar is part of the post-budget series on key themes being organised by the finance ministry following the Union Budget 2026–27. It aims to deliberate on the effective implementation of major budget announcements that require interministerial coordination and shared responsibilities for improving education and skilling. The department of higher education (DoHE) under the education ministry is leading the organisation of the webinar.. “The webinar topic will cover important Budget Announcements, inter alia, relating to education, skilling, creative industries, inclusive capacity building, and institutional infrastructure, which require close coordination among concerned ministries and departments for timely and outcome-oriented implementation,” UGC financial adviser Sudeep Singh Jain said in a communication to HEIs dated March 6, 2026.. UGC has requested all HEIs to widely disseminate information among students and faculty to attend the webinar, stating that the discussions will focus on “issues having far-reaching implications for the higher education sector.” Institutions have also been asked to join the opening, breakout and concluding sessions through YouTube links shared by the commission.. The webinar will begin with an opening session to be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by parallel breakout sessions on identified budget announcements related to education and skilling, and concluding remarks by Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan.. In the Union Budget 2026–27, the government announced the constitution of a high-powered ‘Education to Employment and Enterprise’ standing committee for the services sector, the setting up of Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming and Comics (AVGC) labs in 15,000 schools, and the establishment of a new National Institute of Design in eastern India, new university townships and four telescope infrastructure facilities.. Meanwhile, the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) said it will host a dedicated breakout session on “strengthening India’s care ecosystem: skilling 1.5 lakh multi-skilled caregivers” as part of the webinar series.. In her budget speech, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that 1.5 lakh caregivers will be trained through programmes aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), a competency-based framework that organises qualifications into 10 levels based on knowledge, skills and aptitude.. “The discussions during the session will centre on developing a robust caregiving workforce capable of meeting India’s increasing domestic needs while also tapping into emerging global oppor