Skill India @10: Nation Celebrates a Decade of Empowering Youth on World Youth Skills Day

New Delhi: Marking a decade of transforming India’s workforce, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) today launched a week-long celebration of the 10-year milestone of the Skill India Mission on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day. The event was inaugurated by Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education, who hailed the journey as “Kaushal ka Dashak” — a decade of skills, transformation, and national resurgence.

Speaking at the launch event, Chaudhary reflected on the mission’s impact in shaping a self-reliant and globally competitive India. He highlighted how over the past ten years, MSDE’s efforts across skilling, apprenticeship, entrepreneurship, global mobility, and traditional trades have empowered more than 6 crore Indians, helping them secure dignified livelihoods and contribute to the nation’s growth story.

“Indian workers are respected across the world for their discipline and dedication. It was the Prime Minister’s vision that gave this latent potential a national direction through Skill India,” Chaudhary said. “Today, Skill India has become an identity of New India — bold, aspirational, and future-ready.”

He underlined that skilling efforts, once fragmented across ministries, were brought under a coordinated national strategy. The mission adopted a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, ensuring convergence, quality, and scale — bringing together the private sector, civil society, and multiple arms of the government under a unified goal.

Over the last decade, flagship programs like the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) have trained over 1.64 crore youth, while reforms in the Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) have led to qualitative improvements in governance, affiliations, and training standards across more than 14,500 institutes.

Emphasizing the importance of employability, the Minister called for stronger industry participation in curriculum design and certification. “We need to move beyond funding. Industry must shape how we train — this is how we make ITIs future-ready,” he said, referring to the recently approved ₹60,000 crore ITI Revamp Scheme, including ₹10,000 crore from CSR contributions.

The Minister also shed light on bold reform measures undertaken in ITIs. In the past six years, 4.5 lakh vacant seats were de-affiliated and action is underway to rationalize an additional 99,000 unutilized seats. “Despite this rationalization, our ITI admission rate rose by 11% in 2024. This shows that trust in the system is returning — and we are committed to quality, not just numbers,” he affirmed.

He also highlighted the outcomes of the 38th Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC) meeting held on May 26, where a 36% hike in stipend support under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) was proposed to make apprenticeships more attractive. To promote regional equity, a special pilot scheme has been introduced for the North Eastern Region, offering an additional ₹1,500 per month to domiciled candidates undergoing apprenticeship training within or outside the region.

Chaudhary noted that the upcoming National Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Policy will play a pivotal role in shaping India’s future workforce, much like how the National Education Policy (NEP) has transformed the education landscape. “This new policy will redefine how we skill, upskill, and reskill, preparing our youth to lead in a rapidly changing global economy,” he said.

The week-long celebration will witness workshops, exhibitions, and awareness drives across ITIs, skill centres, and educational institutions nationwide. The celebrations will culminate in the grand ‘Bharat SkillNxt 2025’ event on July 22 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, where major new initiatives will be launched — including a dedicated AI skilling program for school children, aimed at equipping the next generation for a technology-driven future.

“India’s youth are our greatest strength. As we work towards the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, it is their skill, spirit, and innovation that will shape our collective destiny,” Chaudhary said, extending his congratulations to all trainers, learners, and stakeholders who have contributed to making Skill India a success.