**Executive Summary:**
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) addresses steps to integrate skill development with industry needs to enhance employment, support startups (especially in rural areas), and promote entrepreneurship. The Skill India Mission (SIM) delivers skilling through various schemes. As of June 30, 2025, 180,683 entities have been recognized as startups, with 34,294 recognized in 2024.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
* **Skill Development and Industry Integration:**
* The Skill India Mission (SIM) delivers skill, reskill, and upskill training through centers under schemes like PMKVY, JSS, NAPS, and CTS via ITIs.
* The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) regulates and sets standards for quality in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
* Awarding Bodies develop qualifications based on industry demand, mapped with the National Classification of Occupations (2015).
* 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) identify skill development needs and competency standards.
* The Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training (DST) provide industrial training to ITI students.
* PMKVY aligns new-age job roles with Industry 4.0 requirements (AI/ML, Robotics, Drone Technology, etc.).
* New-age courses in emerging areas are introduced in ITIs and NSTIs.
* MoUs with IT companies (IBM, CISCO, AWS, Microsoft) facilitate technical and professional skills training.
* Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) at Ahmedabad and Mumbai provides training for Industry 4.0.
* Partnerships with international organizations (AWS, Microsoft, Intel, etc.) provide digital courses.
* Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) integrates skilling, education, employment, and entrepreneurship, connecting candidates with employers.
* Rozgar Melas and Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) facilitate placements and apprenticeships.
* **Startup and Entrepreneurship Support:**
* Various schemes/programs promote entrepreneurship (e.g., PMEGP, MSE-CDP, SFURTI, ASPIRE, Startup India).
* The Startup India initiative, launched on January 16, 2016, builds a strong ecosystem for startups.
* Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) support startups.
* 180,683 entities recognized as startups as of June 30, 2025; 34,294 recognized in 2024.
* NIESBUD and IIE conduct Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes (EAP) and Entrepreneurship Development Programmes (EDP).
* "Swavalambini," a Women Entrepreneurship Programme, was launched in February 2025 in the North Eastern States and also in Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.
**Impact Analysis:**
* **Youth of India:**
* *Impact:* Enhanced employability through industry-relevant skills and access to job and apprenticeship opportunities.
* *Action Required:* Utilize skill development programs, SIDH platform, and participate in Rozgar Melas.
* **Industries:**
* *Impact:* Access to a skilled workforce aligned with current industry requirements and Industry 4.0 technologies.
* *Action Required:* Collaborate with SSCs, training providers, and institutions to define skill needs and validate qualifications.
* **Startups and Small Entrepreneurs:**
* *Impact:* Access to financial support, incubation, and entrepreneurship development programs, especially in rural areas.
* *Action Required:* Leverage schemes like FFS, SISFS, CGSS, and participate in EAPs and EDPs.
* **Women Entrepreneurs:**
* *Impact:* Cultivated entrepreneurial mindset and access to entrepreneurship programs.
* *Action Required:* Participate in "Swavalambini" and other entrepreneurship development programs.
* **Training Providers (including ITIs and NSTIs):**
* *Impact:* Need to align training programs with industry demands and emerging technologies.
* *Action Required:* Implement Flexi MoU Scheme and DST, offer new-age courses, and collaborate with IT companies.
Key Entities Referenced
Skill India Mission: A Government of India initiative under which the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, reskill, and upskill training through a network of skill development centers.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: The Indian government ministry responsible for skill development and entrepreneurship initiatives.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: A skill development scheme under the Skill India Mission, aimed at providing vocational training to Indian youth.
National Council for Vocational Education and Training: An overarching regulator establishing regulations and standards to ensure quality in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space.
National Skill Development Corporation: An organization under the aegis of MSDE that provides support to training providers and partners with international organizations for digital courses.
Startup India: A Government of India initiative launched on 16th January 2016, to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation, startups, and encouraging investments.
National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, Noida: An autonomous institution of MSDE that conducts Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes and Entrepreneurship Development Programmes to promote entrepreneurship.
Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship, Guwahati: An autonomous institution of MSDE that conducts Entrepreneurship Awareness Programmes and Entrepreneurship Development Programmes to promote entrepreneurship.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1367
ANSWERED ON 28.07.2025
SUPPORT TO STARTUPS THROUGH SKILL DEVELOPMENT
1367. SMT. MALVIKA DEVI:
Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be
pleased to state:
(a) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to take to integrate skill
development programmes with the needs of industries so as to increase and
enhance employment opportunities;
(b) the manner in which the Government plan to support start ups and small
entrepreneurs specially in rural areas along with the Government plan to promote
entrepreneurship in these regions; and
(c) the number of new startups started during the last financial year and the
number of such startups doing well?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF
SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)
(a): 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 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 across the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get
future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills.
To ensure that the skills imparted are aligned with the current industry requirements
and thereby improve employability of the youth, the following specific steps have
been taken by MSDE:
(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) 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective
sectors, have been set up which are mandated to identify the skill development
needs of respective sectors as well as to determine skill competency standards.
NSDC, under the Market led program, provides support to training providers
that collaborate and align skill courses with industry demand.
(iv) 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.
(v) 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.
(vi) DGT has introduced new age /future skills courses in Industrial Training
Institutes (ITIs) and National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) under CTS to
provide training in emerging areas such as 5G Network Technician, Artificial
Intelligence Programming assistant, Cyber Security Assistant, Drone
Technician etc.
(vii) DGT has signed MoU with IT Tech companies like IBM, CISCO, Future Skill
Rights Network, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft to ensure industry
linkages for the institutes at the state and regional levels under CSR initiatives.
These partnerships facilitate the provision of technical and professional skills
training in modern technologies.
(viii) 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 4.0, equipped with cutting-edge
technology and hands-on training.
(ix) National Skill Development Corporation under the aegis of MSDE has
partnered with a number of international organizations such as AWS, Microsoft,
Intel, Redhat, Pearson VUE, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), Cisco
Networking Academy for providing digital courses.
(x) MSDE has launched Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) a unified platform that
integrates skilling, education, employment, and entrepreneurship ecosystems
to provide a life-long array of services targeting a wide range of stakeholders.
The details of the trained candidates are available on SIDH portal for
connecting with potential employers. Through SiDH, candidates can have
access to jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.
(xi) Further, Rozgar Melas and Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas
(PMNAMs) have been organized to facilitate the placements and
apprenticeship opportunities to the certified candidates.
(b) & (c): The Government of India has taken up various initiatives to create a more
inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem through entrepreneurship education, training,
advocacy and easy access to entrepreneurship network. Government of India
implements various schemes/programmes for the entrepreneurship promotion like
Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme; Micro and Small Enterprises-
Cluster Development Programme; Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional
Industries; Scheme for Promoting Innovation, Rural Industry & Entrepreneurship ;Startup India; Startup Village Entrepreneurship Program; Pradhan Mantri
Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises; Technology Incubation and
Development of Entrepreneurs Scheme; etc.
Government of India with intent to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation,
startups and encouraging investments in the Startup ecosystem of the country
launched the Startup India initiative on 16th January 2016. The flagship Schemes
namely, Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme
(SISFS) and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) support Startups at
various stages of their business cycle. As a result of these efforts, a total of 1,80,683
entities (as on 30th June 2025) have been recognised as startups by DPIIT. Out of
these, 34,294 entities were recognised as startups in 2024.
MSDE through its autonomous institutions, i.e, National Institute for
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida and Indian
Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati conducts Entrepreneurship Awareness
Programme (EAP) and Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) to
promote entrepreneurship across the country including special areas like
northeastern region and aspirational districts. MSDE in collaboration with the Women
Entrepreneurship Platform of NITI Aayog, launched the Swavalambini - a Women
Entrepreneurship Programme in February 2025 in the North Eastern States of
Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and also in Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. The
programme aims to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset among female students
through EAP and EDP to be implemented through National Institute for
Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, NOIDA and Indian Institute of
Entrepreneurship, Guwahati.
*****