Parliament Question: AICTE curriculum reforms for Industry 4.0

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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