PMKVY 4.0: Parl panel asks skill ministry to make placement figures public

The parliamentary standing committee on labour, textiles, and skill development has asked the skill ministry to make “concerted efforts with stakeholders” to ensure uploading of placement details of certified candidates under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 4.0 on the Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) portal, as placement figures are the “real barometer” for measuring the success of the scheme.

 

The move will also ensure that there is a database of the employment generated under the central government's flagship skill development scheme.

 

“The committee resolutely felt that the final figures of certification is the benchmark of the success and effectiveness of the implementation of the scheme. The committee is also of the firm opinion that the placement statistics is the real barometer for measuring the success of the scheme. Hence, clearly spelling out the number of employment generated through the scheme is important,” the committee noted in its latest report submitted to Parliament.

 

Launched in September 2023, SIDH is 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 report also stated that although physical, financial, and performance targets for PMKVY 4.0 had been fixed by the skill ministry, no such target has been stipulated for the number of placements to be made or number of estimated employability of the youths under the scheme.

 

“Under PMKVY 4.0, placement has been de-linked, and hence, no specific placement target has been set. However, there is a provision for tracking candidates for one year after the certification,” a skill ministry representative told the House panel.

 

The House panel noted that as of January, more than 16 million candidates have been trained under PMKVY. Of this, 2.32 million candidates have been trained under PMKVY 4.0, under which placement data has been delinked.

 

Earlier, 2.43 million candidates were reported to have been placed prior to implementation of PMKVY 4.0 and these figures were calculated based on certified candidates under short term training and special projects of PMKVY 1.0, PMKVY 2.0, and PMKVY 3.0 — a total of 5.7 million candidates. 

 

With regard to the reasons for the remaining 3.25 million candidates remaining unplaced under the earlier iterations of the scheme, the skill ministry informed the house panel that there were various challenges affecting placements, such as candidates declining job offers for higher studies, family obligations, wage expectations, and health issues.

 

The parliamentary committee also recommended coordination and integration with industry under the PMKVY 4.0 so that the skills required are as per the demands of industry. 

 

It called for practical training to be imparted in new-age skills such as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things, and for people to be trained to become data engineers, telecom technicians, and drone operators.

 

“Such a measure can help in mitigating the skill gaps and deficiencies felt by the industry,” the House panel noted.