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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
RAJYA SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3706
ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026
AICTE curriculum reforms for Industry 4.0
3706 Shri Vivek K. Tankha:
Will the Minister of Education be pleased to state:
(a) whether Government acknowledges the findings of various "India Skills Reports" stating
that less than 50 per cent of Indian graduates are employable;
(b) the concrete steps taken to revise the curriculum of AICTE-approved technical
institutions to include "Industry 4.0" components; and
(c) the number of "Incubation Centres" in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) that have
successfully produced patent-holding startups in the last three years, State-wise?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)
(a) to (c): The official data on Employment and Unemployment is collected through Periodic
Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. As per the latest Annual PLFS reports, the estimated
Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has decreased
from 6.0% in 2017-18 to 3.2% in 2023-24 in the country. Also, the UR on usual status for
youth of age 15-29 years has decreased from 17.8% to 10.2% during the same period.
Government of India launched National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 with an aim for holistic
development of students. NEP aims to transform and enhance the quality of education across
the country with an objective to establish an education system that is inclusive, equitable, and
of high quality, empowering learners to meet future challenges and contribute to national
development.
To achieve the objectives of NEP 2020 and ensure availability of industry relevant knowledge
to students of technical students, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has
taken several steps including launch of Curriculum in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data
Science, Space Technology, Electronic Engineering (VLSI Design and Technology), Robotics& Artificial Intelligence etc. Due representation of Industry stakeholders is ensured in the
curriculum revision committees to ensure that the curriculum remains relevant as per Industry
requirements. Also, Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with leading industries and
organisations have been signed to facilitate internship, skilling and upskilling of students and
faculty members. AICTE has also issued model internship guidelines for technical courses and
Internship is mandatory component of Model Curriculum issued by AICTE for different
courses. Further, Industry Academia Mobility framework launched by AICTE facilitates
connect between theoretical knowledge and practical application, facilitating collaboration
between academia and industry.
In order to promote a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in HEIs, over 16,000
Institution Innovation Councils (IICs) have been established across the country, engaging more
than 1 lakh faculty members and 1.5 lakh students in innovation and entrepreneurial activities.
India has shown remarkable progress in the field of intellectual property. As per the data by
Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, over 1.6 lakh patents
have been granted between 1st January, 2023 and 31st December, 2025. Further, a near three-
fold increase has been seen in patents granted among educational institutions in 2025 compared
to 2023, reflecting a marked strengthening of innovation output and a substantial improvement
in institutional research performance.
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