Parliament Question: Low Employment Rate under PMKVY

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 3547 ANSWERED ON – 10/08/2026 LOW EMPLOYMENT RATE UNDER PMKVY †3547. SHRI NEERAJ MAURYA:

SHRI DEVESH SHAKYA:

SHRI BABU SINGH KUSHWAHA:

SHRI LALJI VERMA:

Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to

state:-

(a) the main reasons for 22 lakh youth dropping out midway from their training under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) between the years 2015 and 2022;

(b) whether out of 1.10 crore certified youth, only 23 lakh could secure verified placements, and the reasons for 87 lakh youth not getting employment even after receiving training;

(c) the reasons for the extremely low employment rate of about 21 percent, along with the reasons for the failure of the massive budgetary amount spent on these 87 lakh youth;

(d) the fundamental changes the Government proposes to bring into its policy to ensure hundred percent employment as per industry demands in the future, rather than merely distributing paper certified to the youth including its impact on Jaunpur Lok Sabha Constituency;

(e) whether the Government is considering to develop a more effective placement system for youth by linking skill training to employment as per industry demand in the country, including the Etah-Kasganj Lok Sabha Constituency;

(f) whether the Government proposes to make policy improvements to strengthen skill training in accordance with the demand of industries, mandatory placement, apprenticeship and monitoring of employment after training and if so, the details thereof; and

(g) the assessment made by the Government regarding the low employment rate under the said scheme and the accountability fixed to ensure the effectiveness of public funds spent on training? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has been successfully implementing its flagship scheme, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), since 2015 to impart skill development training through Short-Term Training (STT) and up-skilling and re- skilling through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to youth across the country. The objective is to enhance the employability of youth by equipping them with industry-relevant skills.Under PMKVY, a real-time dashboard has been developed on the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) to monitor key training indicators, including enrolment, attendance, training progress, and dropouts. According to SIDH data, a total of 5,22,538 candidates were reported as dropouts under PMKVY during FY 2015–16 to FY 2021–22. Candidate dropouts occur due to various reasons such as academic examinations, seasonal employment opportunities, early placement offers, migration, and personal circumstances.

(b)&(c) Under PMKVY scheme, placements were tracked in the Short-Term Training (STT) component in the first three versions of the Scheme - PMKVY 1.0, PMKVY 2.0 and PMKVY 3.0, implemented from FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22. In these versions of PMKVY, out of 56.89 lakh candidates that have been certified in STT, 24.3 lakh candidates have been reported placed which makes the overall placement rate at 42.8%.

Further, MSDE’s flagship scheme PMKVY was evaluated by NITI Aayog in October 2020 across several states. As per the study, about 94% of the employers surveyed reported they would hire more candidates trained under PMKVY. Further, 52% of the candidates who were placed in full time/part time employment and oriented under the RPL component received higher salary or felt that they will get higher salary compared to their un-certified peers.

A third-party impact evaluation of PMKVY was also conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA). As per the evaluation, about 70.5% surveyed candidates received placement in their desired skill sector.

(d), (e)&(f) The Government has undertaken various measures to strengthen the linkage between skill development and employment opportunities under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY). Under PMKVY 4.0, training is being imparted in industry-relevant and future-ready job roles developed in consultation with industry-led bodies and aligned to the requirements of emerging sectors such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Mechatronics, Drone Technology and other Industry 4.0 domains.

To ensure better alignment of training with labour market requirements, District Skill Development Plans (DSDPs) are prepared by District Skill Committees (DSCs) to identify local skill gaps and employment opportunities. Training programmes under PMKVY are planned keeping in view industry demand and local economic potential. The Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) provides an integrated digital platform for candidate registration, training management, job opportunities and employer connect, thereby facilitating placement of trained candidates. In addition, Kaushal Melas and other placement-linked initiatives are organised periodically to connect skilled candidates with prospective employers.

Further, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), through the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), facilitates apprenticeship training in establishments across the country, enabling candidates to acquire practical workplace experience and improving their employability. The Government also monitors key training outcomes, including certification and placement-related indicators, through technology-enabled systems and periodic reviews.

Under PMKVY 4.0, as on 30.06.2026, a total of 8,012 candidates have been trained/oriented in Jaunpur Lok Sabha Constituency and 10,606 candidates have been trained/oriented in Etah- Kasganj Lok Sabha Constituency.

(g) MSDE conducts periodic independent evaluations of PMKVY to ensure quality and accountability. More recently, an independent third-party impact evaluation of the PMKVY 4.0 has been conducted by Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM), an autonomous institution of Ministry of Finance, Government of India, across the country. As per the report, PMKVY training has contributed to a measurable shift in employment outcomes for STT candidates. The combined share of employed and self-employed STT respondentsincreased from 26.6% prior to training to 45.4% after PMKVY training, reflecting an 18.8 percentage point increase. Income-related outcomes also show positive movement, with 41.4% of STT candidates and 48.9% of RPL candidates reporting an increase in income following training and certification.

The Government has undertaken comprehensive corrective measures under PMKVY 4.0, including Aadhaar-based e-KYC, face authentication and geo-tagged attendance, QR-coded digital certificates, real-time dashboards on the Skill India Digital Hub, strengthened assessor and training centre accreditation through NCVET, independent monitoring via Kaushal Samiksha Kendra, revised monitoring guidelines with clear KPIs, and a robust penalty and recovery framework. Disciplinary actions, including suspension, blacklisting, recovery of funds, and other stringent measures, have been taken wherever non-compliance was established, thereby institutionalising stronger accountability, verification, and oversight mechanisms under the scheme.

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