The 10th anniversary of Skill India Mission was observed on 15th July, World Youth Skills Day.

About Skill India Mission

• Launch and Vision: Launched in 2015, Skill India aims to create a skilled workforce across sectors through short-term training, apprenticeships, and vocational education.
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE)
• Objectives of Skill India
  • Enhance employability of youth
  • Bridge the industry-skill gap
  • Promote entrepreneurship and traditional crafts
  • Ensure inclusion of women, SCs/STs, and other marginalized groups
  • Prepare a future-ready workforce aligned with new-age technologies.
• Restructuring: In February 2025, the restructured ‘Skill India Programme’ was approved for 2022-23 to 2025-26 the restructured ‘Skill India Programme’ was approved for 2022-23 to 2025-26, merging Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana 4.0 (PMKVY 4.0), the Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (PM-NAPS), and the Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Scheme into a single Central Sector Scheme.

Key Initiatives under Skill India Programme

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Flagship short-term training programme launched in 2015.
  • Focuses on certification-based training with monetary rewards and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
• Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS): Targets non-literates, school dropouts, and marginalized women aged 15–45 with vocational skills in rural/urban poor areas.
• National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS): Offers stipend support and promotes on-the-job training in industries.
• Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH): Digital platform integrating education, employment, and entrepreneurship ecosystems, enabling Aadhaar-based tracking and performance-linked payments.
• Skill Hub Initiative (SHI): Integrates vocational education with formal education through school and college infrastructure.
• PM Vishwakarma Yojana: End-to-end support for traditional artisans including training, credit, toolkits, and digital marketing.
• Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY): Focuses on diversifying rural household income and training youth for wage employment.
• Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs): Bank-led initiative offering residential entrepreneurial training and credit linkage for rural youth.

Achievements of Skill India

• Massive Training Outreach: Over 1.6 crore youth have trained under PMKVY since 2015.
  • Over 6 crore citizens have been trained across all schemes under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) since 2014.
• Gender and Social Inclusion: 45% of PMKVY trainees are women, with significant representation from SCs, STs, and OBCs.
• Sectoral and Technological Expansion: Skill training expanded to include AI, Robotics, IoT, Mechatronics, and Drone Technology.
• Special Projects: They were designed to include the marginalised sections.
  • Examples include training of 2,500 Bru tribes, jail inmates, and Namda craftswomen in J&K.
• Effective Apprenticeship Promotion: Over 43.47 lakh apprentices engaged under PM-NAPS in partnership with 51,000+ establishments.
• PM Vishwakarma Scheme Performance: Over 2.7 crore applications received and 29 lakh registered by July 2025.
  

Challenges in Realising the Vision of Skill India

• Low Placement Rates: Only 42.8% placement rate reported under PMKVY’s Short-Term Training (STT) component till PMKVY 3.0.
• Digital Divide and Infrastructure Gaps: Limited access to digital resources in rural and remote regions hinders online skill delivery.
• Industry-Relevance and Curriculum Gaps: Training curricula often lag behind rapidly changing industry demands in emerging tech sectors.
• Fragmented Implementation: Overlapping schemes and governance structures reduce coordination and overall efficiency.
• Quality Assurance Deficits: Variations in trainer quality and institutional standards affect skill outcomes and employability.
  

Recent Initiatives to Address Challenges

• Launch of Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH):  A unified digital platform linking skilling, education, employment, and entrepreneurship, with performance-based payments.
• Academic Integration through ABC : Under PMKVY 4.0, Academic Bank of Credits (ABC) allows credit transfer between skill and formal education.
• Creation of Centres of Excellence: Two new centres established at NSTIs in Hyderabad and Chennai for high-end instructor training in June 2025.
• Focus on Outcome-Based Monitoring: Aadhaar-linked verification, digital certification, and placement tracking introduced for transparency and accountability.
  

Way Forward

• Enhance Industry Linkages: Deepen industry participation in curriculum design, apprenticeships, and certification.
• Prioritise Digital Infrastructure Expansion: Invest in digital labs, connectivity, and devices in rural skilling institutions to bridge the digital gap.
• Mainstream Vocational Education: Integrate vocational courses into school curricula to build early familiarity with trades and crafts.
  • NEP 2020 provisions for vocational training is a step in the right direction.
• Strengthen Monitoring and Feedback Loops: Implement real-time monitoring, periodic assessments, and feedback mechanisms to improve course quality and relevance.

Conclusion

The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) has grown into a transformative national movement for youth empowerment through skill development.

To fully realize its vision, addressing systemic challenges and reinforcing innovation, digitalization, and inclusivity will be key as India progresses towards a knowledge-driven, skilled economy.

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