Parliament Question: Skill development programmes for women

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. *50 ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026 SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES FOR WOMEN *50 SHRI I.S. INBADURAI: Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state: (a) the skill development initiatives undertaken for women, especially from rural, urban poor and unorganised sectors, to enhance employability and entrepreneurship, the details thereof; (b) the steps taken to improve women’s participation in advanced, digital, and emerging skills programmes under various schemes of the Ministry; (c) whether Government will consider strengthening convergence with States, industry and financial institutions to support women-led entrepreneurship and self-employment, if so, details thereof; and (d) the measures proposed to ensure accessibility, safety and post-training placement support for women participating in skill development programmes across the country? 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 PART (a) To (d) OF RAJYA SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 50 ANSWERED ON 04.02.2026 REGARDING ‘SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES FOR WOMEN’ (a) to (d): 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 / institutes under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Sikhshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society including women from unorganized sector and difficult areas. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready and equipped with industry relevant skills. Details of the women candidates trained under various schemes of MSDE are as under: Scheme Name Overall Female Candidates Percentage Female Candidates PMKVY 1,64,34,210 74,43,779 45.29 (since 2015-16 to 31.12.2025) JSS 34,14,181 28,35,443 83.05 (since 2018-19 to 31.12.2025) NAPS 47,19,923 10,20,565 21.62 (since 2018-19 to 31.12.2025) CTS (ITIs) 1,07,42,151 14,63,063 13.62 (2018-19 to 2024-25) MSDE in collaboration with MoWCD has launched a joint initiative named NAVYA (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls). NAVYA is a pilot initiative aimed at equipping adolescent girls aged 16-18 years, with vocational training mainly in non-traditional job-roles. To encourage participation of women in skill development programs, special provisions have been made in the common cost norms for meeting expenditure on conveyance and boarding & lodging as well as enhanced post-placement support. PMKVY 4.0 prioritizes and provides special focus to projects that emphasize women as primary beneficiaries. Training programs in sectors like Electronics, Retail, Healthcare, Beauty & Wellness, Handicrafts and Apparel are structured to attract higher participation from women. Skill Hubs and Special Projects actively encourage women's enrolment. Projects are designed to align with local skill demands, creating opportunities for rural women to participate and benefit from skill development schemes. This inclusive approach ensures significant representation and benefit for women in skill training programs across the country. Under NAPS, the introduction of trades in services sector (optional trade) has led to the significant improvement in the women participation in apprenticeship. Under JSS Scheme, the focus is being given to women and other vulnerable sections. Women constitute more than 80% of beneficiaries under JSS. There are 19 National Skill Training Institutes (NSTI) and 318 ITIs exclusively for women. Government of India approved 30% reservation of seats for women candidates in all ITIs (Govt. & Private) in all courses and these seats could be filled based on the general reservation policy of each respective State/UTs. Government of India is implementing various initiatives such as Start-up India, Stand-up India, Startup Village Entrepreneurship Program, PM’s Employment Generation Programme, PM Mudra Yojana, etc. to promote entrepreneurship /self-employment opportunities for women candidates, in close convergence and collaboration with State Governments, Industry, Financial Institutions and local community. Also, MSDE in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog, launched the Swavalambini - a Women Entrepreneurship Programme in February 2025 in the Northeastern States of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and also in Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. The programme aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among female students through Entrepreneurship Awareness Training (EAP) and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP). National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida and Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati are the implementing agencies under aegis of MSDE. MSDE has launched SIDH as a unified platform that integrates skilling, education, and entrepreneurship ecosystems to provide an array of services targeting a wide range of stakeholders. The details of the trained candidates, including women, are available on SIDH portal for connecting with potential jobs and apprenticeship opportunities. Further, Rozgar Melas and Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) facilitate the placements opportunities to the certified candidates, including women. *****