Chandigarh carried its human capital story to the country’s highest planning forum on Thursday, with Administrator and Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria presenting the Union territory’s education-to-skilling continuum before the Prime Minister-chaired 11th Governing Council Meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi — and making a pointed case for the city being not just a high performer but a replicable national model.From 450 Anganwadi centres underpinning early childhood nutrition to a semiconductor research facility at Punjab Engineering College built in collaboration with DRDO, the UT’s address spanned five pillars — early childhood care, school education, higher education, skilling, and sports — each backed by data that stands out sharply against national benchmarks.“Chandigarh has demonstrated that with focused governance, institutional rigour and community partnership, transformative outcomes in human development are achievable and scalable,” Kataria told The Tribune. “Our endeavour is not merely to improve outcomes for our own citizens but to develop models of innovation and inclusion that can contribute meaningfully to the national vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.”GER THAT ALREADY BEATS INDIA’S 2035 TARGETThe single most striking figure in the UT’s submission was its Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education — 64.8 per cent, against a national average of 28.4 per cent and already ahead of the target India has set for 2035. Driven by the rollout of NEP 2020, college enrolment in Chandigarh has risen 9.2 per cent in the current academic session. Three premier institutions are now evaluating autonomous status under UGC norms, and Department of Higher Education is scouting tie-ups with international universities in AI, machine learning, engineering and business administration.SCHOOLS: PRACHESTA-1, TWO YEARS RUNNINGIn school education, Chandigarh has secured the ‘Prachesta-1’ grade — the Union Education Ministry’s highest PGI 2.0 ranking — for the second consecutive year. Class 10 pass percentage has climbed from 78.72 per cent in 2023-24 to 88.25 per cent in 2025-26. The UT has also been declared fully literate under the ULLAS initiative at 99.93 per cent, clearing the national benchmark of 95 per cent. It is the first Union Territory to roll out Olympic Values Education Programme across all 108 government schools, covering over 41,750 students.ANGANWADIS TO SEMICONDUCTOR LABSAt the base of the pyramid, 450 Anganwadi centres reach an estimated 10,721 beneficiaries monthly, with 152 upgraded to Saksham status. On the advanced end, Punjab Engineering College’s Centre of Excellence with Siemens in additive manufacturing and a semiconductor research centre with DRDO and SERB — alongside an AI laboratory at the Government ITI for Women — anchor Chandigarh’s pitch as a future-ready skilling hub. The UT also highlighted its social skilling footprint: vocational training inside Burail Jail and a mental health-linked skills initiative with PGIMER.ASIAN RELAY CHAMPIONSHIP, RS 20-CRORE SPORTS PUSHIn sports, Chandigarh’s athletes have won 471 national and 17 international medals in recent years, backed by Rs 22.12 crore in scholarships and Rs 9.45 crore in cash awards to medal winners. The city has been selected to host the Asian Relay Championship 2027. Infrastructure investment of Rs 20 crore is planned for the coming year, including Astroturf at the Sector-18 Hockey Stadium and upgradation of the Sector-7 synthetic athletic track.Throughout, the Administrator framed Chandigarh’s address as a bid for sustained central partnership. “This city has always been a planned experiment — and today that experiment is delivering results in every dimension of human development,” Kataria said. “With continued support from the Government of India, Chandigarh can serve as a living proof of concept for Viksit Bharat.”