As India marks ten years of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the government’s flagship skilling programme under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), the numbers speak for themselves: more than 6 crore Indians empowered through various skilling initiatives since 2014, with over 1.6 crore trained under PMKVY alone.
Since its inception in 2015, PMKVY has steadily evolved into a key pillar of the Skill India Mission (SIM), aiming to bridge the gap between youth aspirations and employability through structured, industry-aligned training. The programme has expanded far beyond short-term courses, now encompassing apprenticeships, entrepreneurship support, global workforce readiness, and traditional crafts preservation.
As of July 11, over 25 lakh youth have been trained under PMKVY 4.0—the latest phase of the scheme—reflecting a significant leap toward preparing India’s youth for both domestic and international job markets. This version of the programme integrates cutting-edge features like digital tracking, AI-based analytics, credit portability through the Academic Bank of Credits, and links with the Skill India Digital Hub to provide a seamless experience connecting training, education, and employment.
An Integrated Approach to Skill Development
PMKVY has evolved from a large-scale training initiative into a dynamic tool for national development. After its initial pilot skilled almost 20 lakh candidates, PMKVY 2.0 expanded to strategically support the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’ campaigns, training 1.10 crore candidates. PMKVY 3.0 focused on precision-targeted training, seamlessly aligning with the National Education Policy and rapidly equipping COVID-19 frontline workers to meet the nation’s most urgent needs. This phase integrated training modules such as the Customised Crash Course Programme for COVID Warriors (CCCP for CW) and the Skill Hub Initiative (SHI), which mainstreamed vocational training with general education as envisaged under the National Education Policy, 2020. Under PMKVY 4.0, over 25 lakh candidates have been trained in the last three years, bringing the total number of trained candidates to 1.63 crore. The training imparted under PMKVY makes candidates employable in diverse industries like manufacturing, construction, healthcare, IT, electronics, and retail.
Inclusion and Innovation at the Core
At the heart of PMKVY lies an unwavering focus on inclusion. Nearly 45% of the trained candidates are women, with strong representation from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC). The scheme also undertook region- and community-specific projects: training Bru-tribe youth in Tripura, vocational programmes for prison inmates in Assam and Manipur, and upskilling women in Jammu & Kashmir through Namda craft revival initiatives.
PMKVY’s Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) component has played a crucial role in certifying the skills of informal sector workers—especially artisans and weavers in J&K and Nagaland—without the need for extended training, boosting their mobility in the job market.
Balancing Heritage with Future-Ready Skills
One of PMKVY’s defining strengths has been its dual focus—preserving traditional skills while embracing future technologies. Beneficiaries are being equipped for careers in manufacturing, healthcare, electronics, retail, and IT, but increasingly also in emerging fields like drones, mechatronics, AI, and the Internet of Things.
In this effort, Centres of Excellence launched at National Skill Training Institutes (NSTIs) in Hyderabad and Chennai in June 2025 are set to become national reference points for high-quality instructor training and specialised skilling.
Complementary Schemes Expanding the Skilling Ecosystem
The momentum created by PMKVY has been bolstered by several complementary schemes. The PM Vishwakarma Yojana, launched in 2023, aims to support artisans from 18 traditional trades with training, toolkits, credit access, and marketing support. As of July 2025, over 2.7 crore applications have been received, with 29 lakh registrations completed.
Meanwhile, the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), which targets rural youth, has trained nearly 17 lakh individuals since its launch in 2014, with over 11 lakh successfully placed in employment. Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs), operated in partnership with banks, have trained more than 56 lakh people this financial year alone, fostering entrepreneurship in rural India.