Parliament Question: Alleged irregularities in skill development programmes

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 605 ANSWERED ON- 04/02/2026 ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES 605 SHRI SANJAY RAUT:

Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to

state:

(a) the funds allocated, released and utilised under major skill development schemes during the last five years, scheme-wise and State-wise;

(b) the number of training partners and centres empanelled, inspected, suspended or blacklisted, along with reasons therefor;

(c) details of complaints, CAG observations, vigilance inquiries or investigations into irregularities such as ghost trainees, inflated placement claims or substandard training;

(d) the extent of independent verification of placement outcomes and findings thereof;

(e) the action taken against officials and private agencies found guilty of misuse of public funds; and

(f) the measures being implemented to strengthen transparency, accountability and outcome-based funding in skill development initiatives? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) Under PMKVY, funds are released to implementing agencies for meeting the training cost as per prescribed norms. Under JSS scheme, funds are released directly to Non-Governmental Organizations.

Under NAPS, the establishments are incentivized by way of stipend support. Day to day administration as well as financial control in respect of ITIs lies with the respective State Government/ UT Administration. The funds released under major skill development schemes of MSDE from FY 2021-22 to 2025-26 (as on 31.12.2025), scheme-wise and State-wise is at Annexure-I.

(b) to (e): NSDC as implementing agency for Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) receives complaints from time to time relating to non-compliance of scheme guidelines by certain Training Partners (TPs) and Training Centres (TCs) engaged under skilling programmes. These include issues such as non-adherence to prescribed processes, gaps in documentation, or deficiencies in training delivery. Whenever such complaints are received, they are examined as per established procedures.

These centres are monitored through both physical and virtual modes. Strict legal and administrative actions including filing of FIRs, blacklisting, suspension, and financial recovery are initiated against non- compliant TPs/TCs involved in activities such as falsification of attendance records. As on 31.12.2025, a total of 178 Training Centres have been blacklisted under PMKVY 4.0 for non-adherence to scheme guidelines. Further, 41 FIRs have already been registered in matters involving serious irregularities, including falsification of attendance records.

Impact of schemes for skill development are assessed through their third party independent evaluation.

The evaluation of schemes of MSDE have acknowledged their positive outcome and mentioned about their success in terms of placement or livelihood improvement of candidates trained, as indicated below:PMKVY: MSDE’s flagship scheme PMKVY was evaluated by NITI Aayog in October 2020 and as per the study, about 94 percent of the employers surveyed reported they would hire more candidates trained under PMKVY. Further, 52 percent 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.

JSS: Evaluation study of JSS scheme conducted in 2020 found that the training nearly doubled household incomes for beneficiaries, with strong participation from women (79%) and rural communities (50.5%).

The study reported significant livelihood improvements, including better employment for 73.4% of trainees, higher incomes for 89.1%, and effective beneficiary mobilization at 85.7%. It also noted that 77% of trainees shifted to new occupations, reflecting the scheme’s strong focus on self-employment in line with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

ITIs: The final report of Tracer Study of ITI Graduates published in 2018 by MSDE mentions that 63.5% of total ITI pass-outs got employed (wage+self, out of which 6.7% are self-employed).

NAPS: Third-party evaluation study of NAPS conducted in 2021 observed that the scheme improved youth employability by providing structured on-the-job training and increasing apprentices participation across industries. In the new version of the scheme, DBT method has been adopted to transfer government's share directly to apprentices' bank accounts, as streamlined reimbursement process was recommended in the report.

(f) The Government continuously monitors the quality of training and placement outcomes under its skilling programmes, including PMKVY through audits, evaluations, media reports, or stakeholder feedback. To address these concerns, monitoring mechanism have been strengthened through mandatory Aadhaar based authentication, including attendance via Face-Authentication and the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS), Aadhaar based verification of candidate credentials, mobile number authentication, and an expanded role of third-party assessment bodies.

To improve quality, transparency, and uniformity in the implementation of PMKVY, the Government has undertaken several measures from time to time. Oversight mechanisms have been strengthened through technology-enabled systems such as Direct Benefit Transfer, registration process on Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) ensures e-KYC compliance, maintaining of all Management Information System (MIS) through SIDH portal to check duplication of candidates,etc. A structured grievance redressal mechanism, performance audits, impact assessments, and third-party evaluations have been institutionalized to curb malpractices, including falsification of attendance records. Additional measures include real-time call validations, surprise inspections of TP's/TC's, virtual verification with geotagged evidence, and candidate feedback through the NIC-developed Central Communication Layer (CCL) have also been implemented. Under PMKVY 4.0, training is being conducted only through accredited and affiliated Training Centres (TCs).ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) OF RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 605 ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026 REGARDING ‘ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES’ Annexure-I Fund released under major skill development schemes of MSDE from FY 2021-22 to 2025-26 (as on

31.12.2025), scheme-wise and State-wise: (Figures in Rs. in Crores) Sl. No Name of State Name of Scheme PMKVY* JSS NAPS

1. Andaman And Nicobar 0.94 2.39 69.24

2. Andhra Pradesh 71.4 14.96 0.1

3. Arunachal Pradesh

15.4 - 0.67

4. Assam 120.08 13.67 29.04

5. Bihar 124.37 50.98 61.97

6. Chandigarh 1.67 2.37 1.59

7. Chhattisgarh 30.55 33.89 15.81

8. Dadra And Nagar Haveli And Daman And Diu 1.17 4.23 2.37

9. Delhi 39.17 7.43 58.74

10. Goa 0.38 2.45 7.16

11. Gujarat 44.61 21.33 164

12. Haryana 97.75 8.56 77.56

13. Himachal Pradesh 35.2 25.24 16.84

14. Jammu And Kashmir 134.66 2.28 2.27

15. Jharkhand 42.02 28.54 36.53

16. Karnataka

63.72 29.17 149.9

17. Kerala 25.54 22.21 49.65

18. Ladakh 2.2 1.65 0.02

19. Lakshadweep - 1.91 0.03

20. Madhya Pradesh 313.73 69.67 68.68

21. Maharashtra 109.41 51.38 535.3

22. Manipur 41.23 9.85 2.07

23. Meghalaya 7.21 2.1 1.24

24. Mizoram 11.62 2.38 0.85

25. Nagaland 13.28 3.09 0.87

26. Odisha 46.08 69 46.47

27. Puducherry 5.22 - 5.24

28. Punjab 146.22 4.6 20.84

29. Rajasthan 381.58 20.54 36.4

30. Sikkim 6.22 - 1.02

31. Tamil Nadu 118.79 19.4 232.1

32. Telangana 47.78 14.41 64.01

33. Tripura 19.15 4.67 1.62

34. Uttar Pradesh 500.62 115.7 204.7

35. Uttarakhand 51.3 19.57 34.31

36. West Bengal 61.31 18.38 82.16 Grand Total 2,731.61 698.03 2081.40 * The figures are for funds utilized in PMKVY Scheme *****