Under the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM) , the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Sikhshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society across the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills.

To ensure that the skills imparted are aligned with the current industry requirements and thereby improve employability of the youth, the following specific steps have been taken by MSDE:

 

(i)    National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has been set up as an overarching regulator establishing regulations and standards to ensure quality in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space.

 

(ii) The Awarding Bodies recognised by NCVET are expected to develop the qualifications as per the industry demand and map them with the identified occupations as per the National Classification of Occupations, 2015 and obtain industry validations.

 

(iii) 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective sectors, have been set up which are mandated to identify the skill development needs of respective sectors as well as to determine skill competency standards. NSDC, under the Market led program, provides support to training providers that collaborate and align skill courses with industry demand.

 

(iv) General of Training (DGT) under the aegis of MSDE is implementing Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training (DST) which are meant to provide training to ITI students in industrial environment as per their requirements.

 

(v)   Under PMKVY, the new age/future skills job-roles have been specially aligned with Industry 4.0 requirements in areas like AI/ML, Robotics, Mechatronics, Drone Technology, etc. for upcoming market demand and industry requirements.

 

(vi)  DGT has introduced new age /future skills courses in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) under CTS to provide training in emerging areas such as 5G Network Technician, Artificial Intelligence Programming assistant, Cyber Security Assistant, Drone Technician etc.

 

(vii) DGT has signed MoU with IT Tech companies like IBM, CISCO, Future Skill Rights Network, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft to ensure industry linkages for the institutes at the state and regional levels under CSR initiatives. These partnerships facilitate the provision of technical and professional skills training in modern technologies.

 

(viii)  Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) established at Ahmedabad and Mumbai, in Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode, provide training to create a pool of industry-ready workforce for Industry 4.0, equipped with cutting-edge technology and hands-on training.

 

(ix)  National Skill Development Corporation under the aegis of MSDE has partnered with a number of international organizations such as AWS, Microsoft, Intel, Redhat, Pearson VUE, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Cisco Networking Academy for providing digital courses.

 

(x) MSDE has launched Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) a unified platform that integrates skilling, education, employment, and entrepreneurship ecosystems to provide a life-long array of services targeting a wide range of stakeholders. The details of the trained candidates are available on SIDH portal for connecting with potential employers. Through SiDH, candidates can have access to jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.

 

(xi) Further, Rozgar Melas and Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) have been organized to facilitate the placements and apprenticeship opportunities to the certified candidates.

 

The Government of India has taken up various initiatives to create a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem through entrepreneurship education, training, advocacy and easy access to entrepreneurship network. Government of India implements various schemes/programmes for the entrepreneurship promotion like Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme; Micro and Small Enterprises-Cluster Development Programme; Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries; Scheme for Promoting Innovation, Rural Industry & Entrepreneurship ; Startup India; Startup Village Entrepreneurship Program; Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises; Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs Scheme; etc.

Government of India with intent to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation, startups and encouraging investments in the Startup ecosystem of the country launched the Startup India initiative on 16th January 2016. The flagship Schemes namely, Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) support Startups at various stages of their business cycle. As a result of these efforts, a total of 1,80,683 entities (as on 30th June 2025) has been recognised as startups by DPIIT. Out of these, 34,294 entities were recognised as startups in 2024.

MSDE through its autonomous institutions, i. e, National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati conducts Entrepreneurship Awareness Programme (EAP) and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) to promote entrepreneurship across the country including special areas like northeastern region and aspirational districts.

MSDE in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog, launched the Swavalambini - a Women Entrepreneurship Programme in February 2025 in the North Eastern States of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and also in Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. The programme aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among female students through EAP and EDP to be implemented through National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, NOIDA and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati.

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

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VV/SH

(Release ID: 2149342)