Parliament Question: Creation of Employment in Electronics and IT Sector

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1697

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 30.07.2025 CREATION OF EMPLOYMENT IN ELECTRONICS AND IT SECTOR

1697. SHRI ZIA UR REHMAN: SHRI CHHOTELAL:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government is aware that a large number of youth especially from rural and small- town backgrounds face challenges in accessing opportunities related to digital skills, IT-enabled services and emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain and cyber security;

(b) if so, the details of the steps being taken by the Government to promote digital skilling, create employment opportunities in the electronics and IT sector and encourage startups and innovation through initiatives like Digital India, India BPO Promotion Scheme (IBPS) and the Electronics Manufacturing Cluster Scheme; and

(c) if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a) to (c): India has a strong information technology ecosystem. It generates annual revenues of more than 250 billion dollars and provides employment to more than 6 million people. Further, Government has launched IndiaAI mission in March 2024. The AI strategy aims to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence. It is a strategic initiative to establish a robust and inclusive AI ecosystem aligned with India's development goals. India is also the second-largest contributor to GitHub for AI projects, showcasing its vibrant developer community. Global rankings such as Stanford AI rankings place India among the top countries in AI skills, capabilities, and policies to use AI.

Future Skills PRIME: Government has enrolled more than 22.79 Lakh candidate under the FutureSkills PRIME program. The program is being run in association with industry association NASSCOM. It aims to skill candidate in emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, 3D printing, cybersecurity, etc.

YUVAi: Youth for Unnati and Vikas with AI: A National Programme for School Students with the objective of enabling school students from classes 8th to 12th. It focuses on AI skills in 8 thematic areas - Krishi, Aarogya, Shiksha, Paryavaran, Parivahan, Grameen Vikas, Smart Cities and Vidhi aur Nyaay.National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT): NIELIT has been actively working to improve access to digital skills and emerging technologies like AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity for youth from rural and small-town backgrounds. Over the last five years, NIELIT has trained/certified over 43.6 lakh individuals through its various centres and skill development initiatives.

Support for Startups and Innovation: Various schemes under MeitY such as TIDE 2.0 (Technology Incubation and Development of Entrepreneurs), the MeitY Startup Hub (MSH), and Centres of Excellence in emerging technologies are providing mentorship, funding support, incubation, and access to technical infrastructure for startups and innovators across the country.

Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA): The PMGDISHA was initiated to reach digital literacy in 6 crore rural households (one person per household) nationwide.

As against a target of 6 crore, around 6.39 crore individuals were trained across the country.

Skill Development in ESDM Sector: The Government has implemented two schemes for Skill Development in ESDM Sector to facilitate eco-system creation for development of ESDM Sector in the country. Under both of the Schemes, a total of 4,93,919 candidates have been trained and 3,75,289 candidates have been certified and a total of 1,38,275 candidates have been placed.

Additional initiatives that contribute to skilling: i) Skill India Mission: Under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, this mission includes training programs aligned with industry needs in the IT and electronics sectors to improve employability and entrepreneurship among youth.

ii) Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): to impart skill development training through Short-Term Training (STT) and up-skilling and reskilling through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Further, the scheme also focuses on new-age and emerging courses such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, etc. Under PMKVY, so far, a total of 25.77 lakh candidates have been trained, and 15.39 Lakh candidates have been certified.

iii) Atal Innovation Mission: NITI Aayog has initiated an AIM-State partnership for strengthening the existing innovation ecosystem in the states/UTs. ******