Parliament Question: Funds to Kerala for Skills development

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2162 ANSWERED ON 11.03.2026 FUNDS TO KERALA FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT 2162. SHRI HARIS BEERAN: Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state: (a) the total Central funds under PMKVY (State Component) and SANKALP withheld or pending for the State of Kerala in Financial Year 2023-24 and 2024-25; (b) the reasons for the delay, including details of Ministry objections regarding "branding, " "co- branding, " or "logo usage" on State certification; and (c) the number of skill development centres in Kerala denied accreditation or funding due to non- alignment with central branding guidelines, despite meeting technical and quality standards? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (a) to (c): Under the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM) , the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society across the country including Kerala. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready and equipped with industry relevant skills. Funds under PMKVY are released to implementing agencies for meeting the training cost as per prescribed norms. Under PMKVY 4.0 (2022-23 to 2025-26), Rs.11.20 Crore and Rs.4.36 Crore have been released in the State of Kerala during 2023-24 and 2024-25 respectively. PMKVY 4.0 being a Central Sector Scheme has no State Component. Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP), a World Bank- loan assisted Centrally Sponsored Scheme was launched in January 2018 and concluded on 31st March 2025. The theme of SANKALP was to address the challenges of skill development programs, ensuring quality, making them market relevant and accessible in the context of short-term training. Under Sankalp, MSDE has released Rs.10 lakh (Central share of 60%) under Aspirational Skilling Abhiyan (ASA) and Rs 6.09 Crore (Central share of 60%) under State incentive grants (SIG) to the Government of Kerala for implementation of SANKALP scheme. Against the grants released, state reported utilization of Rs.6.68 crore as on 31.03.2025. Since the scheme has concluded, Government of Kerala has been requested to return the unutilised balance amount to the Consolidated Fund of India (CFI). No instance has been observed where funding was denied to the State of Kerala due to non-alignment with central branding guidelines. *****