Deloitte in India has hired close to 50,000 professionals over the last three years, nearly doubling the headcount as it invests in people and productive capacity in the country, the audit firm said on Friday.

In a statement Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP said it focused on building skills to deliver technology-driven growth.

It also announced completion of a pilot project to help address the issue of stubble burning in North India.

"Deloitte in India has hired close to 50,000 professionals over the last three years," the statement said.

"The organisation plans to continue to invest in people and productive capacities in India, with a focus on innovative approaches to support education, digital skills development, and training opportunities." Punit Renjen, Deloitte Global CEO Emeritus (retired), highlighted India's potential and the importance of skilling and nature-based solutions at the US-India CEO Forum, held here on Friday.

"I believe, this is India's century, and the country has a unique opportunity to lead the world in addressing some of the critical issues that we face. India's future innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders will need new skills to help them meet these challenges," he said.

Deloitte continues to provide learning opportunities in India.

Deloitte AI Academy helps to bridge the technology talent gap by developing and re-skilling workforces in collaboration with The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Deloitte's StepUp program educates third-year engineering college students on industry-specific skills and emerging technologies.

Over the next few years, Deloitte plans to continue to engage with the broader community with a focus on STEM, innovation, leadership and digital.

Deloitte's WorldClass, a global effort to prepare 100 million people by 2030 for careers and opportunities through education and skill-building, aims to reach 50 million people in India.

Since its launch in 2017, WorldClass has supported over 125 nonprofits across India, located in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan.

In 2022, Deloitte India successfully ran a pilot project in Haryana, resulting in a 69 per cent reduction in farm fire or stubble burning events. "It is estimated that over time almost 2,000 lives can be saved through this pilot project," the statement said.

Deloitte India plans to scale the initiative in the state of Haryana to cover a total of eight districts that are currently responsible for about 90 per cent of fires in the state.

In addition to these, Deloitte India has indicated that it will conduct pilots in the neighbouring states of Uttar Pradesh (Ghaziabad district) and Punjab (SAS Nagar district).

The eight districts in Haryana will include Fatehabad, Sirsa, Jind, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Ambala, Yamuna Nagar, and Karnal.

The initiative plans to continue mobilising local governments, farmers, communities, and private sector partners.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.