Govt: 1.64 Cr Youth Trained Under PMKVY, 56 Lakh Apprentices

New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) Over 1.64 crore youth have been trained under the Centre's flagship skilling scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said on Wednesday.

Sharing the achievements of the ministry on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi becomes India's longest continuously serving elected PM, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said the country has completed 12 years of "Skills, Scale and Transformation".

Through sustained reforms, institutional strengthening and deep collaboration with industry, academia and state governments, Skill India has evolved into one of the world's largest and most diverse skilling ecosystems, it stated.

Jayant Chaudhary, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, "The journey of the last twelve years reflects India's growing recognition that skills are among the most powerful enablers of opportunity, productivity and economic transformation. The Ministry has worked to create an ecosystem where skills are viewed as an integral part of learning, employability and lifelong growth, alongside formal education."


India's vocational training infrastructure has expanded significantly, with the number of Industrial Training Institutes growing from 9,776 in 2014 to more than 13,888 today, the ministry said.

Together with National Skill Training Institutes, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras and Jan Shikshan Sansthans, these institutions have expanded access to quality skill development opportunities across the country.

The ministry has also established three Indian Institutes of Skills (IIS) in Gandhinagar, Mumbai and Kanpur, creating state-of-the-art centres of excellence to deliver industry-aligned, future-ready training.

Apprenticeship has emerged as one of the strongest bridges between education and employment. More than 56.08 lakh apprentices have been engaged since 2016, supported by reforms that have improved participation from both industry and youth while strengthening on-the-job learning opportunities.

"The Ministry has also driven large-scale short-term skilling interventions through flagship programmes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, under which more than 1.64 crore candidates have been trained," an official statement said.