Context:

• The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) completed 10 years on 15 July 2025.

Key Highlights:

• PMKVY is a flagship skill development initiative of the Government of India.
• Launched: 15 July 2015 on the occasion of World Youth Skills Day
• Objective: To provide employment-oriented skill training to India’s youth, especially those who are less educated or school/college dropouts, enabling them to access employment or self-employment opportunities.
• Implementation: Executed by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the guidance of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).

Components of PMKVY:

Short Term Training (STT):

• Target Group: Unemployed youth, school/college dropouts, undereducated individuals
• Duration: ~3 months (150–300 hours); some courses may extend to 6 months or 1 year
• Training Sectors: IT, Electronics, Healthcare, Automotive, Construction, Telecom, Hospitality, and 40+ other sectors
• Curriculum Includes: Technical skills, soft skills, work ethics, hygiene, personal grooming, digital and financial literacy
• Benefits: Post-training employment, self-employment, and certification

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):

• Target Group: Individuals who already have work experience or skills but lack formal certification
• Process: Their skills are assessed, and successful candidates receive nationally recognized certificates
• Duration: Typically 5–12 days, includes bridge/refresher training
• Objective: To give skilled or semi-skilled workers formal recognition and improve their employment potential

Special Projects (SP):

• Target Group: Youth interested in working in sectors with specific conditions or corporate/government projects, such as defence, railways, or various industrial projects
• Training: Designed for jobs not specifically covered under National Occupational Standards (NOS) or requiring location/sector-specific customization
• Benefits: Access to jobs requiring specialized skills in government, corporate, or industrial sectors

Key Phases of PMKVY:

PMKVY 1.0 (2015–2016):

• Target: To train 2.4 million youth in the first year
• Outcome: 1.985 million candidates trained
• Features: Focused on STT, RPL, and Special Projects. Each trainee received ₹8,000 financial assistance and certification
• Impact: Laid the foundation for a standardized skill development ecosystem in India

PMKVY 2.0 (2016–2020):

• Target: 10 million youth
• Outcome: More than 12 million youth trained and made employable
• Features: Introduced Centrally Sponsored State Managed (CSSM) component, allocating 25% funding and targets to State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs)
• Integrated with missions like Make in India, Digital India, and Swachh Bharat
• Impact: Emphasized quality training and industry relevance; over 3 lakh women trained in 2021–22

PMKVY 3.0 (2020–2022):

• Target: 0.8 million youth
• Outcome: Received over 1.24 lakh applications and provided training to many, particularly in healthcare
• Features: Continued focus on STT, RPL, and Special Projects across 425 districts in 33 States/UTs
• Impact: Emphasized training in critical areas like healthcare during COVID-19

PMKVY 4.0 (2023–2025):

• Target: Skill training in emerging areas like digital tech, AI, and green energy
• Features: Both online and offline training, Industry 4.0 skills, and promotion of self-employment
• Outcome: Over 16.4 million youth trained by 2025
• Impact: Focused on future-ready skills aligned with evolving job markets

Major Achievements:

Training & Certification:

• From 2015 to 2025, over 16.4 million youth trained across sectors like manufacturing, construction, healthcare, IT, electronics, retail, etc.
• More than 13.7 million youth skilled, including those from SC, ST, and OBC categories
• Certificates awarded are recognized nationwide and facilitate better employment

Other Skill Development Schemes Empowering the Sector:

Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana:

• Launched: 17 September 2023
• Objective: To provide comprehensive assistance to artisans and craftsmen from 18 traditional trades working with their hands and tools
• As of 13 July 2025, over 2.7 crore applications received, with 29 lakh successfully registered

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY):

• Launched: 25 September 2014
• Part of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM)
• Aims to diversify rural poor families' income and support youth career aspirations
• 65% of candidates received gainful employment post-training
• From FY 2014–15 till Nov 2024, 1,690,046 candidates trained, 1,097,265 placed

Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs):

• Launched: January 2009
• Offers high-quality, free, residential entrepreneurship training to rural youth, followed by credit linkage and handholding
• As of 30 June 2025, in FY 2025–26 alone, 5,669,369 candidates trained, compared to 2,289,739 in 2016–17