**Summary:**
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), under the Skill India Mission (SIM), is actively supporting startups by enhancing skill development across India. As of June 30, 2025, 180,683 entities have been recognized as startups by DPIIT, with 34,294 recognized in 2024 alone.
MSDE provides skill, reskill, and upskill training through centers operating under schemes like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Sikhshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) via Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). Initiatives to align skills with industry needs include:
* The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) as the overarching regulator.
* Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) to identify skill gaps and competency standards.
* Market-led programs by NSDC to support training providers aligning courses with industry demands.
* Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training (DST) by the Directorate General of Training (DGT).
* New-age PMKVY job roles aligned with Industry 4.0 (AI/ML, Robotics, Drones, etc.).
* New-age courses in ITIs and National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) under CTS (5G, AI, Cybersecurity, Drone Tech).
* Partnerships with IT companies like IBM, CISCO, Future Skill Rights Network, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Microsoft for skills training.
* Indian Institutes of Skills (IIS) in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, established in PPP mode, to provide Industry 4.0 workforce training.
* Partnerships between the National Skill Development Corporation and international organizations (AWS, Microsoft, Intel, etc.) for digital courses.
* Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH), a unified platform integrating skilling, education, employment and entrepreneurship.
* Rozgar Melas and Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) to facilitate placements and apprenticeships.
The government supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem through initiatives like Startup India (launched January 16, 2016), Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS), and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS). Entrepreneurship promotion is further supported through Entrepreneurship Awareness Programs (EAPs) and Entrepreneurship Development Programs (EDPs) conducted by the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development (NIESBUD), Noida, and the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE), Guwahati. MSDE, in collaboration with NITI Aayog's Women Entrepreneurship Platform, launched Swavalambini in February 2025, a Women Entrepreneurship Programme in select North Eastern States and Uttar Pradesh and Telangana.
This information was provided by the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Shri Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship: The Indian government ministry responsible for skill development and entrepreneurship.
Skill India Mission: A Government of India initiative to provide skill, reskill, and upskill training to the youth of India.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: A skill development scheme under the Skill India Mission.
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.
Sector Skill Councils: Organizations led by industry leaders responsible for identifying skill development needs and determining skill competency standards for their respective sectors.
National Skill Development Corporation: An organization under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship that supports training providers and collaborates with international organizations for providing digital courses.
Startup India: A Government of India initiative launched to build a strong ecosystem for nurturing innovation, startups and encouraging investments in the Startup ecosystem of the country
Assam: A state in North Eastern India where Swavalambini a Women Entrepreneurship Programme in February 2025 was launched.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
Support to Startup through Skill Development
Posted On: 28 JUL 2025 5:17PM by PIB Delhi
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 stateand 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.
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) has 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.
This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of SkillDevelopment and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Shri Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply in the Lok
Sabha today.
******
VV/SH
(Release ID: 2149342)