The Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University (DSEU) held a celebratory event on the 6th Foundation Day, at the Yashobhoomi convention centre, Dwarka, New Delhi. Ashish Sood, the Minister of Home and Education, came to grace the occasion as the Chief Guest. The inauguration day was an opportunity to express the ambitious vision of the university to make the capital city a national startup, skill, and youth innovation hub in the country. 

Vision and youth-led innovation

The Minister observed that innovative ideas like startups, scaling, and recognition-based learning have been championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last 11 years. According to Sood, the DSEU has achieved a lot in fulfilling this vision within the six years of its existence. He also indicated that the work of the Prime Minister has brought skill development and innovations to greater heights over the last ten years, a process to which DSEU has made significant contributions.

To emphasize one of his initiatives, Minister Sood declared a major future event dedicated to promoting the idea of youth-led innovation in the city. It was announced on the occasion of the upcoming National Youth Day on January 12, 2026, showing intentions of a Startup and Skill Youth Festival. The festival will be a joint venture, organized by all 11 universities and 19 ITIs in Delhi. The basic idea of the festival is simple: to give young people a devoted platform to display their ideas and innovations.

Aspiration and core challenges

Minister Sood clearly mentioned the long-term goal behind these initiatives. The aim is to make Delhi a successful startup, innovation, and skill capital of India. This emphasis on ensuring the creation of a competent and independent generation is in tandem with the vision of the Centre. The incident highlighted the need to equip the youth to compete in the industry and acquire enough skills to land good jobs, and to have good careers through the integration of education with industrial needs.

On an equally important but different note, another important and hotly discussed issue among the residents of Delhi was raised by Minister Sood, that is, the need to allow fireworks on Diwali celebrations. He promised to interact with the administration in a systematic way to solve this societal issue. He emphasized that pollution needs to be minimized by using sustainable administrative measures and not by some sweeping bans. 

The Minister Ashish Sood said, “People in Delhi want to celebrate Diwali with fireworks. We will engage with the administration in a structured manner to address this. The government is already working continuously to reduce pollution, but simply imposing bans on firecrackers, construction, or implementing odd-even schemes will not solve the problem. We must reduce pollution through sustainable administrative actions rather than blanket prohibitions.”

Quotation Source: The Hans India  

Conclusion

The speech of Minister Ashish Sood at the 6th Foundation Day of the DSEU solidified the determination of the Delhi government to transform the capital into a center of ability, entrepreneurship, and invention. The proposed Startup and Skill Youth Festival is a practical move to this end, which coordinates the efforts of universities and ITIs to mentor and demonstrate young talent. The government is also preparing Delhi to become the capital of talent in India by linking the mission of the university to the national vision of cultivating skills and becoming an entrepreneurial nation.