Parliament Question: Evaluation of skilling programmes in Odisha

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *135 ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026 EVALUATION OF SKILLING PROGRAMMES IN ODISHA *135 DR. SASMIT PATRA: Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has evaluated the relevance of skilling programmes in districts such as Ganjam, Rayagada and Kandhamal where youth unemployment and distress migration are high; (b) the number of skill centres, trades offered and placement outcomes in Odisha during the last two years; (c) whether training is aligned with local economic opportunities; and (d) what steps are being taken to prevent Odisha’s rural youth from being pushed into low-paid, insecure migration? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (d): A statement is laid on the table of the House.STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (D) IN RESPECT OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *135 ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026 REGARDING ‘EVALUATION OF SKILLING PROGRAMMES IN ODISHA’. (a): Under the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM), launched in 2015, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) provides skill, re-skill, and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres under major schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), and the Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all sections of the society across the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills. 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: An independent third-party impact evaluation of the PMKVY 4.0 has been conducted by Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management (AJNIFM), an autonomous Institution of Ministry of Finance, Government of India. As per the report, PMKVY training has contributed to a measurable shift in employment outcomes for STT candidates. The combined share of employed and self-employed STT respondents increased from 26.6% prior to training to 45.4% after PMKVY training, reflecting an 18.8 percentage point increase. Income-related outcomes also show positive movement, with 41.4% of STT candidates and 48.9% of RPL candidates reporting an increase in income following training and certification. Overall, PMKVY 4.0 has significantly expanded access to formal skill training and certification and has generated measurable improvements in skill confidence, employment participation, and income outcomes for a substantial proportion of beneficiaries. JSS: A third-party evaluation of the Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) Scheme was conducted by AJNIFM, in 2025 to assess the scheme’s outreach, effectiveness and livelihood outcomes. The evaluation highlighted significant achievements of the scheme, with 33.94 lakh individuals enrolled, of whom 32 lakh were trained and 31.52 lakh certified, reflecting an overall success rate of 99 percent. Women constituted a dominant 82 percent share of total participants, while 73 percent beneficiaries belonged to marginalized sections, including SC/ST (36 percent) and OBC (37 percent). The livelihood impact has been noteworthy, with 90 percent alumni utilising acquired skills for income generation, 82 percent becoming economically engaged within six months of training, and 60 percent of previously non-earning individuals starting to earn post-training. The average monthly income of beneficiaries recorded a four-fold increase from ₹1,776 to ₹8,440. NAPS: A third-party evaluation study of Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (PMNAPS-2) from FY 2022-23 to FY 2025-26 (Data upto 30th November 2025) was conducted by AJNIFM. As per the report, PMNAPS 2 achieved significant scale during the evaluation period, engaging 34.69 lakh apprentices against a cumulative target of 46 lakh, translating into an overall achievement of approximately 75 percent. The institutionalisation of DBT has improved financial transparency and predictability. Cumulative DBT disbursement exceeded ₹1,094 crore, with annual disbursement rising from ₹327.2 crore in FY 2023–24 to ₹500.16 crore in FY 2024–25. ITIs: The Tracer Study report of ITI Graduates published in 2018 by MSDE mentions that 63.5% of total ITI pass-outs got employed (out of which 6.7% are self-employed). (b): Under the schemes of MSDE, Training Centres (TCs) are set up on need basis to impart the training across the country. The scheme/programmes under MSDE align skilling with local industry needs through NSQF-aligned, NCVET-approved courses developed in consultation with industry and line Ministries. The number of Skill Centres and Trades/Job roles offered in state of Odisha as on 31.12.2025 under the major skill development schemes of MSDE are as below:S.No. Skill Centres and Trades/Job roles Name of Scheme PMKVY JSS NAPS CTS 1. Number of Skill Centres 241 29 447# 500$ 2. Number of Trades/Job roles 201 50 266 79 # Data is for Number of Establishments $ Data is for Number of ITIs The number of candidates trained/oriented in Ganjam, Rayagada and Kandhamal districts of Odisha state under the major skill development schemes of MSDE are: S.No. Name of the Number of candidates trained/oriented under major schemes of MSDE District PMKVY(since JSS (since NAPS CTS(Candidates inception to 2018-19 to (Apprentices Enrolled session 2018-19 31.12.2025) 31.12.2025) engaged since to 2025-2026) 2018-19 to 31.12.2025) 1. Ganjam 39,351 8600 1,377 46,763 2. Rayagada 14,502 7911 915 4,478 3. Kandhamal 10,368 6720 185 4,106 Further, among the schemes of MSDE, placements were specifically tracked only in the Short Term Training (STT) component of PMKVY in the first three versions i.e., PMKVY 1.0, PMKVY 2.0 and PMKVY 3.0 of the scheme implemented from FY 2015-16 to FY 2021-22. Under PMKVY 4.0, the focus was to empower our trained candidates to choose their varied career path and they are suitably oriented for the same. Number of candidates certified and reported placed in Odisha under PMKVY 1.0, PMKVY 2.0 and PKKVY 3.0 are as under: Scheme No. of candidates certified Total Certified Total Reported (Short Term training) Recognition of Prior Placed in STT + SP (Special Learning (RPL) STT+SP Project) PMKVY 1.0 38,156 2,655 40,811 10,430 PMKVY 2.0 1,14,664 2,61,082 3,75,746 59,736 PMKVY 3.0 10,387 5,334 15,721 900 (c) & (d): District Skill Committees (DSCs) have been established across all States/UTs to prepare District Skill Development Plans (DSDPs) for decentralized, grassroots-level skill planning. These plans aimed at addressing identified skill gaps across sectors, map local employment opportunities, skill demand, and training infrastructure to guide government skill programmes. Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry experts, conduct skill gap studies and set competency standards aligned with industry needs. Further, under SANKALP, the National Skill Gap Study by NCAER provides a standardized, data-driven assessment of skill gaps across high-growth sectors, supporting MSDE in aligning skilling initiatives with future workforce requirements. As part of this initiative, DSDPs have been formulated for Ganjam, Kandhamal, and Rayagada districts, identifying district-specific job roles and training infrastructure needs. Further, in order to meet skilling requirement for future workforce, improve the quality of skilling, to align the training programs to market needs and improve the employability of trainees, following specific steps have been taken by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE): i. The training programs offered under the schemes of MSDE are developed in collaboration with industries, keeping in view market demands. ii. Future ready job-roles addressing the requirement of Industry 4.0, emerging sectors like Drone, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Mechatronics, etc., have been prioritized under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0. Also, Under Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) inITIs, new age courses have been developed to meet the demand of futuristic job roles in emerging technologies. iii. The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has been set up as an overarching regulator establishing regulations and standards to ensure quality in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space. The Awarding Bodies recognized by NCVET are required to develop the qualifications as per the industry demand and obtain industry validations. iv. Directorate General of Training (DGT) is strengthening industry-linked training for ITI students through the Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training, and by partnering with leading tech companies like IBM, CISCO, Future Skill Rights Network, AWS, and Microsoft under CSR initiatives to enhance industry exposure and relevant skill development. v. Courses aligned to National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) also have components of On Job Training (OJT) and employability skills. vi. Under NAPS, apprenticeship training and increasing engagement with industrial establishments for undertaking apprenticeship programs is promoted. vii. Trainings of Trainers through National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) and Institutes of Training of Trainers (IToTs). viii. Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) Portal has been established as a unified digital platform for skilling, certification, employment linkages and entrepreneurship ecosystems integrating services such as training enrolment, digital certification, and job matching through the National Career Service. ix. The Cabinet has also approved the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability through Upgraded ITIs(PM SETU) scheme with a focus on upgradation of 1,000 ITIs through a Hub (200)–Spoke (800) model. To prevent youths from insecure migration, the Government is strengthening social security coverage and access to local skilling and employment opportunities. The Ministry of Labour & Employment has launched the e-Shram portal to create a national database of unorganised workers, provide them with a Universal Account Number (UAN), and enable access to social security schemes. In addition, SIDH has also been integrated with key national digital systems such as DigiLocker, NCS, e-Shram, UIDAI, and PFMS, enabling secure data exchange, verification, and end-to-end service delivery. Through integration with multiple central ministries, State Governments, and national digital systems, the platform enables seamless and verified access to skill programmes across regions and languages. The platform has witnessed increasing adoption among candidates, training providers, and employers, supporting large-scale, efficient and transparent delivery of skilling, certification, and job-matching services. Its integration with national digital systems improves transparency, portability of benefits, and access to skill programmes and local employment opportunities closer to home, thereby reducing distress migration. *****