Parliament Question: Tribal Centre of Excellence for Skill Development in Palghar

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2492 ANSWERED ON 03.08.2026 TRIBAL CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN PALGHAR 2492 DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA: Will the Minister of SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has conducted any assessment of the skill gap and employment potential in the tribal-dominated Palghar district of Maharashtra, particularly in view of the rapid industrial growth in Tarapur Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and the upcoming Vadhavan Port Project; (b) whether the Government proposes to establish a Tribal Centre of Excellence for Skill Development in Palghar to provide industry-oriented training in logistics, port operations, manufacturing, healthcare, renewable energy, electronics, tourism and other emerging sectors; (c) whether the Government proposes to mandate or incentivize industries operating in Palghar to provide apprenticeship and employment opportunities to train local tribal youth; and (d) if so, the details thereof, and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) IN THE MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY) (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 across the country including Palghar district of Maharashtra. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills including logistics, port operations, manufacturing, healthcare, renewable energy, electronics, tourism and other emerging sectors. Some of the initiatives include: Assessment of Skill Gaps: District Skill Committees (DSCs) are mandated to formulate District Skill Development Plans (DSDPs) to promote decentralized planning and implementation at the grassroots. The district-level skill assessment and planning exercise for Palghar district, Maharashtra through the District Skill Plan and Skill Gap Analysis framework, identified the need for capturing industry and employer demand, undertaking micro skill gap analysis, and aligning skill development programmes with local employment opportunities. The DSDP for 2024-25 calls for industry demand aggregation, placement drives, apprenticeship promotion, entrepreneurship development, and skill gap studies to support employment generation in the district. The assessment has identified several sectors with employment potential in the district, including Agriculture, Automotive, Construction, Electronics &Hardware, Food Processing, Healthcare, IT-ITeS, Logistics, Power, Tourism & Hospitality, Infrastructure Equipment and Green Jobs, among others. These findings are useful for planning skill development interventions and improving employability of local youth, including the tribal youth in the area. Guidelines for recognition of Centres of Excellence: MSDE has released the guidelines for recognition of Centres of Excellence (CoE) under Skill India. Under this initiative, institutions having permanent and best-in-class infrastructure can be empanelled as CoE-skills across the country including Maharashtra. These CoE-Skills envisages to enable high-quality training delivery, better training outcome, stronger integration among skill development and education as envisaged under National Education Policy 2020. Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs: The Government has launched PM-SETU (Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs), a centrally sponsored scheme with an investment of Rs.60,000 crore. The PM-SETU scheme aims to enhance the overall quality and relevance of vocational training in the country. The Scheme has a total outlay of Rs. 60,000 crore (Central Share – Rs. 30,000 crore, State Share – Rs. 20,000 crore and Industry Share – Rs. 10,000 crore), with two components. Under Component I upgradation of 1,000 Government ITIs (200 Hub ITIs and 800 Spoke ITIs) in a Hub and Spoke model would be undertaken, wherein upgradation includes smart classrooms, modern labs, digital content, and new courses aligned to industry needs. Under Component II, capacity augmentation of five National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs), including setting-up sector-specific National Centres of Excellence for skilling is envisaged, with focus on advanced training of trainers with global partnership, and curriculum development. The PM-SETU Scheme is being implemented across all States/UTs, including Maharashtra to upgrade the quality and relevance of Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). The National Steering Committee (NSC) has approved six (6) Strategic Investment Plans (SIPs) submitted by Anchor Industry Partners (AIPs), comprising three from Telangana, one from Andhra Pradesh, one from Odisha and one from Gujarat. The State Government of Maharashtra has identified three (03) clusters under the PM-SETU Scheme, with Hub ITIs located in the districts of Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and Pune. Apprenticeship engagement: NAPS supports apprenticeship engagement through partial stipend assistance, capacity building of the apprenticeship ecosystem and stakeholder outreach. NAPS provides stipend support equivalent to 25% of the stipend paid by the establishment, subject to a maximum of ₹1,500 per month per apprentice, which is released directly into the bank account of the apprentice through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism. The scheme is open to all eligible youth, including tribal youth, and facilitates acquisition of industry-relevant skills and practical workplace experience through apprenticeship training. From 2022-23 to 2026-27 (up to June 2026), a total of 12,499 apprentices have been engaged by 243 establishments in Palghar district of Maharashtra under NAPS. During the same period, 10,88,818 apprentices have been engaged by 8,402 establishments across Maharashtra under the scheme. Measures to enhance employment opportunities: In order to provide employment opportunities to the candidates trained under skill development programs, 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 recognized by NCVET are expected to develop the qualifications as per 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 identify the skill development needs of respective sectors as well as to determine skill competency standards. iv. 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. 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 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, 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. viii. The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 envisages greater integration of vocational education with mainstream education and promotes seamless mobility between academic and vocational pathways. In line with this vision, the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP), developed in collaboration with UGC and AICTE, enables students enrolled in degree and diploma programmes to undertake apprenticeship training as an integral part of their curriculum. The programme enhances employability, promotes outcome-based learning, strengthens industry-academia linkages and facilitates acquisition of industry-relevant skills. ix. Kaushal Melas and Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) are organised to facilitate placements and apprenticeship opportunities for the certified candidates. *****