Everyone wants engineers and MBAs. But we may run out of plumbers and electricians

Key points

• Every few months, another report appears warning that artificial intelligence could transform offices, eliminate repetitive desk jobs, and reshape entire industries.
• Companies experiment with AI tools that can write, analyse, code and create presentations in seconds.
• Yet amid all this anxiety, India may be ignoring a far more immediate problem.
• Go back 30 or 40 years, and it was common for people to know at least some basic plumbing, electrical or repair work.
• Today, many of us struggle to fix a faulty switch, a leaking pipe or a broken appliance.