Parliament Question: Establishment of PM SHRI Schools in Chhindwara

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 1334 ANSWERED ON – 27/07/2026 Establishment of PM SHRI Schools in Chhindwara †1334. Shri Bunty Vivek Sahu: Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state: (a) the details of positive results of the establishment of Prime Minister SHRI Schools in Rural and tribal dominated blocks of Chhindwara Parliamentary Constituency of Madhya Pradesh under National Education Policy so far; and (b) whether the Government proposes to provide any special financial assistance for starting new vocational and technical skill courses in higher education institutes to make the local youth of the region employable and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a): Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) is a centrally sponsored scheme which aims to strengthen more than 14,500 schools from amongst the existing schools managed by Central Government/State/UT Government/local bodies. As informed by State of Madhya Pradesh, a total of 25 PM SHRI schools have been selected from the Chhindwara Parliamentary Constituency of Madhya Pradesh including rural and tribal dominated blocks. The implementation of the scheme has resulted in: i. Improved access in terms of increased enrolment i.e., 17,045 in 2025-26 as compared to 16,248 in 2024-25. ii. Improved quality education through upgraded infrastructure, including 50 smart classrooms, 25 ICT-enabled labs, science and computer laboratories, libraries, and sports facilities. iii. Promotion of experiential and competency-based learning as envisaged under NEP 2020. iv. Enhanced teacher capacity through regular training and professional development programmes of 550 teachers at SIEMAT, Bhopal. v. Better learning environment with emphasis on exposure visit of 10,230 students in academic year 2025-26, inclusive education, environmental awareness, vocational exposure, and holistic development of students.vi. Increased use of digital learning resources and improved participation of students in academic and co-curricular activities. (b): The Government has taken several measures to enhance the employability of youth through skill-based education in higher education institutions. Employability Skill module has been included as a part of Job Roles/SWAYAM courses in the curriculum which includes Communication Skills, Self-Management Skills, Information and Communication Technology Skills, Entrepreneurship Skills, and Green Skills. To support skill development, the SWAYAM Plus portal has also been launched, focusing on upskilling and reskilling the workforce. More than 500 courses have been developed curated from 89 industry partners across 17 sectors and offered on emerging areas such as AI, Data Analyst etc. So far, more than 6,00,000 students registered on the platform. The National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) bridges the gap between academic learning and industry requirements by providing structured on-the-job training to graduates and diploma holders. The Scheme promotes industry-integrated education through Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDP), supports apprenticeships in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), and facilitates academic credit integration through the NATS Assessment and Creditisation Framework. NATS provides apprenticeship training to: Graduates / Diploma holders within the five years of completion of their courses and to the students of Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes (AEDP). The apprenticeship period ranges from 6 months to 3 years, depending on the sector and programme, and apprentices receive a monthly stipend during training. The prescribed minimum monthly stipend ranges from Rs. 12,300 for Graduate apprentices and Rs. 10,900 for Diploma apprentices. The Government of India provides 50% of the prescribed minimum stipend as support. Under NATS, the central government stipend support is available for a maximum period of one year. A distinctive feature of the scheme is that one year of apprenticeship training for Graduate and Technician/Diploma apprentices is treated as work experience for employment in Central and State establishments. *****