Parliament Question: Skilling for Space and Geospatial Sectors

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1227 ANSWERED ON 27.07.2026 SKILLING FOR SPACE AND GEOSPATIAL SECTORS 1227. SHRI G M HARISH BALAYOGI: Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state: (a) the details of the skill development/capacity-building programmes implemented in space and geospatial sectors, State/UT-wise; (b) the details of the persons trained in remote sensing, GIS, satellite data processing and geospatial applications during the last three years, programme-wise, State/UT-wise, especially in Andhra Pradesh; (c) the details of number of training centres, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and other institutions engaged in such programmes, State/UT, district-wise including Andhra Pradesh, particularly Konaseema district; (d) whether the Government has assessed the demand for skilled manpower in the space and geospatial sectors and identified gaps in availability of trained personnel outside established technology hubs, if so, details thereof; (e) the details of partnerships with private space entities/start-ups/academic institutions for training, internships, apprenticeships and employment in said sectors; (f) whether any targeted programmes are proposed by the Government to extend such training to rural youth, particularly in Andhra Pradesh and if so, the details thereof; and (g) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to link such skill development programmes with employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in the space and geospatial sectors? 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 to all the sections of the society across the country including the state of Andhra Pradesh. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills. The Government is actively promoting skill development in the space and geospatial emerging technology sectors through flagship schemes of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), namely the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), which impart short-term skilling, up- skilling, re-skilling through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), and structured on-the-job apprenticeship training in areas such as GIS, spatial data management, drone technology, software development, telecommunications, and electronics. Furthermore, to strengthen thecapacity of Non-Government Entities (NGEs) and academia, IN-SPACe under the Department of Space has introduced 11 short-term skill development courses in space technology, under which over 1,000 candidates have been successfully trained across the country. The State/UT-wise number of candidates trained and apprentices engaged in space and geospatial related sectors during the last three years as well as the number of training centres/establishments under PMKVY and NAPS are provided at Annexure-I and Annexure-II respectively. The details of HEIs conducting various space technology courses across the country are given at Annexure-III. (d) to (g): District Skill Committees (DSCs), established across all States/UTs including Andhra Pradesh are mandated with formulating District Skill Development Plans (DSDPs) to support decentralized, grassroots-level skill planning by identifying local employment opportunities, skilling demand, and available training infrastructure. Government skill programmes are then designed to bridge these identified skill gaps across sectors. The Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry experts, regularly conduct skill gap studies to assess sector-wise skill needs and set competency standards, which guide government interventions to align the workforce with industry requirements. Additionally, the SANKALP (Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion)-supported National Skill Gap Study by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) provides a standardized, data-driven framework to assess skill gaps across seven high-growth sectors. It helps MSDE align skilling initiatives with industry demand and future workforce needs. Also, IN-SPACe has carried out an assessment of the skilling requirements in areas like space technology, launch vehicle, rockets, satellites etc. in consultation with the industry and has undertaken the development of relevant course curricula on the basis of the identified needs. To expand outreach and strengthen the linkage between skilling and employment, the Government has been organizing Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) since June 2022, along with awareness generation, employer outreach, and candidate mobilization activities. Through collaboration with employers, industry bodies, educational institutions, and Sector Skill Councils, the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) facilitates the acquisition of industry-relevant skills and enhances employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for youth, including those from rural areas. Further, the faculties for short-term skill developments in IN-SPACe are from ISRO, IN-SPACe, Ex-ISRO officers, private space entities/start-ups/academic institutions for delivering the lecture and for covering practical aspects during the course. In order to align skill development programs with the industrial requirements in the emerging sectors including the space and geospatial sectors, and to facilitate partnerships with private entities/academic institutions, to improve the employability of the skilled manpower and entrepreneurship opportunities, the following specific steps have been taken by MSDE across the country including Andhra Pradesh: i. 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. ii. The Awarding Bodies recognised by NCVET are expected to develop the qualifications as per the industry demand and map them with the identified occupations as per the National Classification of Occupations, 2015 and obtain industry validations. iii. NCVET has approved 10,209 qualifications as per the industry requirements, out of which 2,975 qualifications are valid and active, and 7,234 qualifications are archived. iv. 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective sectors, have been set up which identify the skill development needs of respective sectors as well as to determine skill competency standards.v. Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the aegis of MSDE is implementing Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training (DST) which are meant to provide training to ITI students in industrial environment as per their requirements. vi. Under PMKVY, the new age/future skills job-roles have been specially aligned with Industry 4.0 requirements in areas like AI/ML, Robotics, Mechatronics, Drone Technology, etc. for upcoming market demand and industry requirements. vii. DGT has introduced new age /future skills courses under CTS to provide training in emerging areas such as 5G Network Technician, Artificial Intelligence Programming assistant, Cyber Security Assistant, Drone Technician etc. viii. DGT has signed MoU with IT Tech companies like IBM, CISCO, Microsoft, AWS etc. to ensure industry linkages for the institutes at the state and regional levels. These partnerships facilitate the provision of technical and professional skills training in modern technologies. ix. Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) established at Ahmedabad and Mumbai, in Public Private Partnership (PPP) Mode, provide training to create a pool of industry-ready workforce for Industry, equipped with cutting-edge technology and hands-on training. x. Kaushal Melas and Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) are organised to facilitate the placements and apprenticeship opportunities to the certified candidates. xi. IN-SPACe has conducted two editions of IN-SPACe CANSAT India Student competition and one edition of IN-SPACe model rocketry student India competition, which resulted in inculcation of space technology interest among the college students and created ample employment opportunities. xii. IN-SPACe is also providing internship and Immersion opportunities to college students to empower them with relevant skill for the space sector.Annexure-I ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NUMBER 1227 ANSWERED ON 27.07.2026. State/UT-wise number of candidates trained and apprentices engaged in space and geospatial related sectors during the last three years under PMKVY and NAPS schemes of MSDE FY 2023-24 FY 2024-25 FY 2025-26 PMKVY NAPS PMKVY NAPS PMKVY NAPS S.No State/UT Name Trained/ Apprentices Trained/ Apprentices Trained/ Apprentices Oriented engaged Oriented engaged Oriented engaged 1. Andaman And - 12 - 38 - 34 Nicobar Islands 2. Andhra Pradesh 2,414 5,163 4,239 5,336 247 5,074 3. Arunachal 120 11 - 12 - 30 Pradesh 4. Assam 31 2,782 481 1,344 74 2,320 5. Bihar 169 939 3,380 1,000 50 2,496 6. Chandigarh - 689 - 982 - 1,005 7. Chhattisgarh 30 2,161 90 1,864 - 2,109 8. Delhi 13 2,521 160 3,551 - 4,288 9. Goa - 3,695 - 4,554 - 4,435 10. Gujarat 245 23,189 4,445 22,211 51 26,542 11. Haryana 57 18,058 2,086 19,047 224 24,799 12. Himachal Pradesh 71 1,803 190 1,645 156 2,122 13. Jammu And 79 166 3,815 118 617 230 Kashmir 14. Jharkhand 228 2,825 319 2,415 81 3,098 15. Karnataka 80 25,112 14,813 34,033 2,734 37,254 16. Kerala 60 4,481 451 6,080 130 5,292 17. Ladakh - 23 - 8 - 6 18. Lakshadweep - 4 - 7 - 11 19. Madhya Pradesh 257 7,882 4,805 7,290 1,128 8,768 20. Maharashtra 542 81,371 2,768 87,060 236 91,640 21. Manipur - 1 - 4 60 22 22. Meghalaya - 59 139 89 - 52 23. Mizoram 28 3 177 0 - 0 24. Nagaland 29 0 111 2 - 6 25. Odisha 273 3,995 1,389 2,870 23 3,141 26. Puducherry - 924 - 994 124 1,510 27. Punjab 79 4,001 2,177 4,050 293 6,132 28. Rajasthan 546 4,486 5,146 5,434 348 6,924 29. Sikkim - 52 - 97 - 121 30. Tamil Nadu 1,267 22,352 6,579 22,549 655 27,404 31. Telangana 70 15,509 2,543 13,494 975 13,912 32. Dadra & Nagar - 852 237 1,494 - 1,155 Haveli and Daman & Diu 33. Tripura - 70 19 57 209 70 34. Uttar Pradesh 583 39,276 10,305 40,666 924 46,327 35. Uttarakhand - 7,618 1,337 7,331 45 8,831 36. West Bengal 61 7,638 208 7,981 276 12,072Annexure- II ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NUMBER 1227 ANSWERED ON 27.07.2026. State/UT-wise number of training centres/establishments under PMKVY and NAPS schemes of MSDE (as on 30.06.2026) S.No. State/UT Name PMKVY (Training Centres) NAPS (Establishments) 1. Andaman And Nicobar Islands 11 8 2. Andhra Pradesh 527$ 241* 3. Arunachal Pradesh 82 7 4. Assam 864 93 5. Bihar 548 236 6. Chandigarh 15 26 7. Chhattisgarh 183 77 8. Delhi 148 165 9. Goa 6 159 10. Gujarat 276 2,520 11. Haryana 536 1,871 12. Himachal Pradesh 183 181 13. Jammu And Kashmir 554 38 14. Jharkhand 208 139 15. Karnataka 436 889 16. Kerala 146 464 17. Ladakh 11 2 18. Lakshadweep 1 1 19. Madhya Pradesh 1,417 364 20. Maharashtra 577 2,666 21. Manipur 164 4 22. Meghalaya 108 9 23. Mizoram 109 0 24. Nagaland 96 4 25. Odisha 242 162 26. Puducherry 29 88 27. Punjab 619 217 28. Rajasthan 1,474 276 29. Sikkim 38 18 30. Tamil Nadu 530 668 31. Telangana 173 381 32. The Dadra & Nagar Haveli and 10 61 Daman & Diu 33. Tripura 170 7 34. Uttar Pradesh 2,664 1,972 35. Uttarakhand 198 237 36. West Bengal 280 340 * Including 5 in Konaseema District $ Including 6 in Konaseema DistrictAnnexure-III ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NUMBER 1227 ANSWERED ON 27.07.2026. Details of HEIs conducting various space technology courses across the country (as on 30.06.2026) S.No. Institute 1 Aditya University 2 Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani 3 Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences 4 Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology 5 Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham 6 Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra 7 Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida 8 Graphic Era Deemed to be University 9 Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal 10 Indian Institute of Technology Indore 11 Indian Institute of Technology Madras 12 Institute of Aeronautical Engineering 13 Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology Deemed to be University 14 Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee 15 IIT Kharagpur 16 Anurag University 17 REVA UNIVERSITY 18 Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology Gorakhpur 19 Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur 20 Delhi Technological University 21 Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science 22 C V Raman Global University 23 SRM Institute of Science and Technology 24 Amity University Maharashtra Mumbai 25 Banaras Hindu University 26 Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology 27 Dr. Vishwanath Karad MIT-World Peace University, Pune, Maharashtra, Bharat 28 Vignans Foundation for Science Technology and Research 29 COEP TECHNOLOGOCAL UNIVERSITY Pune 30 Sri Sai Ram Engineering College 31 NIT Raipur 32 INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY TIRUPATI 33 CHRIST Deemed to be University 34 Gokaraju Rangaraju Institute of Engineering and Technology 35 Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology 36 Coimbatore Institute of Technology 37 Malla Reddy MR Deemed to be university 38 Assam Don Bosco University 39 JSS Science and Technology University Mysuru 40 Central University of Jammu 41 DSPM IIIT Naya Raipur 42 Sankalchand Patel College of Engineering/ Sankalchand Patel University 43 Adikavi Nannaya University 44 Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University Lucknow 45 K J Somaiya School of Engineering 46 Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT Delhi) 47 Ajeenkya DY Patil University, Lohegaon, Pune 48 Shah and Anchor Kutchhi Engineering College, Chembur, Mumbai 49 Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 50 Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab 51 MKSSS's Cummins College of Engineering for Women, Pune *****