To make every individual skilled in their respective area, the Union Cabinet chaired by Shri Narendra Modi, approved a skill development programme – Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana on March 20’2015. This will be the flagship scheme for skill training of youth to be implemented by the new Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship through the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). Furthermore, it’s planned that PMKVY will be running on National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF) and rules & regulations of the industry.

 The Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is targeting 24 lakh youths, primarily focusing new entrants in the labour market and class 10th/12th dropout. On completion of the training programme, candidates will receive the certificate by third party bodies and average monetary reward of Rs 8000 per trainee. The National Skill Development Corporation will play an important role here. The organization has 187 training partners associated with it and 2300 centres pan India.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana is similar to the STAR (Standard Training & Assessment Reward) Scheme announced by former finance minister P. Chidambaram in 2013-14 budget. STAR Scheme also encouraged skill development for youth with monetary reward on completing the training programme. The only difference is of the budget and the number of youths targeted. The budget was Rs 1000 crores in 2013-14 vis-à-vis Rs 1500 crores in 2015-16 and only 10 lakhs candidates were targeted in STAR scheme which increased by 250% i.e. 24 lakh candidates for the year 2015-16. Dilip Chenoy, the Chief Executive – NSDC said that STAR implementation has improved and the PMKVY, though similar, will be different.

The training programme under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana would be more focused on the soft skills, personal grooming, behavioral change for cleanliness and good work ethics. Sector Skill Councils and the State Governments will be the monitoring body.

The Union Cabinet has divided the fund into various categories –

1). Rs 1120 crore has been assigned for skill training of 14 lakh candidates

2). Rs 220 crore will be for recognizing the prior learning

3). Rs 150 crores for youth belonging to North East region of the country

The skill training will be done on the basis of demand assessed by NSDC for the period 2013-17 during Skill Gap Studies. For spreading the awareness of this Kaushal Yojana melas / fairs will be organized at the local level with active participation of the State Governments, Municipal Bodies, and community based organizations.

One of the major focus of this training programme would be Recognition of Prior Learning. Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna, prior learning of the candidate will be recognized and candidates will receive the certification and monetary reward on completion of the training. This further facilitates the process of skill upgradation and re-skilling of the existing workforce. For Example – Telecom Sector Skill Council invites candidates for the training programme and provides TSSC certification with Govt. of India logo on successful assessment.

Sector Skill Council will be responsible for smooth implementation of the scheme. To verify and record the details of the training centres, Skill Development Management System would be in place. Feedback during the assessment has been made a critical part of the evaluation process, and grievance redressal system would also be the part of the scheme to ensure complete closure.