Over 1.48 Crore Candidates Trained under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana

New Delhi: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has been implementing its flagship scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), since 2015. This initiative has imparted skill development training to over 1.48 crore candidates across the country through Short-Term Training (STT) and up-skilling and re-skilling through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). The scheme has been pivotal in providing placement opportunities to STT certified candidates and certifying already existing skills through RPL.

This information was shared by the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Jayant Chaudhary, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

Under PMKVY, placement opportunities have been facilitated for STT certified candidates, while RPL involves the certification of already existing skills. The first three versions of the scheme, PMKVY 1.0, PMKVY 2.0, and PMKVY 3.0, tracked placements from FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22. However, in the current version, PMKVY 4.0, implemented from FY 2022-23 onwards, placement tracking has been delinked.

Since its inception in 2015 until June 30, 2024, the PMKVY scheme has trained and oriented 1.48 crore candidates nationwide. Out of 56.88 lakh candidates certified in STT under the first three versions, 24.3 lakh candidates have been placed, resulting in an overall placement rate of 42.8%.

In the state of Maharashtra, 12.72 lakh candidates have been trained/oriented under PMKVY from 2015 to June 30, 2024. Out of 2.60 lakh candidates certified in STT, 80,950 candidates have been placed, making the overall placement rate 30.4% in the state.

PMKVY 4.0: A Central Sector Scheme

Currently, PMKVY 4.0 is being implemented as a Central Sector Scheme since 2022-23 and is operational in all 36 States and Union Territories. Unlike its predecessors, PMKVY 4.0 does not include a state-managed component. This version of the scheme is designed to be demand-driven and is being implemented through a simplified and unified portal, the Skill India Digital Hub.

Addressing Drop-Out Rates and Enhancing Participation

For the implementation period of PMKVY 4.0 from 2022-23 onwards, the drop-out rate of candidates is at 13.84%. To further reduce this rate, PMKVY 4.0 offers boarding, lodging, and transport facilities to special groups, including women and persons with disabilities (PwD), and in special areas such as aspirational, border, tribal-dominated, and Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected districts.

To increase women’s participation in the scheme, conveyance costs are provided even for non-residential training. As a Central Sector Scheme, PMKVY 4.0 does not involve direct allocation or disbursement of funds to State Skill Development Missions.