Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Features, Eligibility, & Application Process

The Indian Government attempted to improve the Indian job seekers’ capabilities by launching Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana or PMKVY. It is an initiative for skill development, encouraging aptitude in terms of employable skills among daily wage earners.

Learn all about PMKVY and utilise its benefits!

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What Is Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana?

The Indian Government launched the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana in 2015 to encourage skill development among daily wage earners of India. It was an attempt to increase the workers’ interest in learning new skills with the help of short skill training courses under this scheme for free.

Moreover, PMKVY also tried to incentivise the process by promising financial rewards to youth for their skill certification.

After the successful implementation of its pilot, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana was strengthened with other Government missions such as Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat, etc.

The Government planned a total investment of ₹12,000 crores for its application among the working class. The award amount for an individual completing these courses is around ₹8,000 on average.

What Are the Objectives of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana?

PMKVY aims at helping both the working class and the entire business industry with a series of employable skill development courses. The following list will highlight some specific objectives of this PMKVY scheme.

Encourage Indian youths to take industry-specific quality skill training
Energise them to get employed and make a decent living
Assist the business industry with higher efficiency and increased productivity
Align skill training with specific needs of industries
Standardisation of the Certification process for Indian workers
Foundation for creating a registry of skills

What Are the Features of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana?

As you can see, PMKVY aims to make the working class more capable of earning wages and the youth more interested in learning new skills. However, the activities of this scheme are more than just this. You can check out the following features of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana to find out more about its practical implications.

Short-term Training

The training programs under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana aim to benefit the S721youth, including school/college dropouts or the unemployed. These centres follow the National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) to provide eligible candidates with training. Moreover, it also includes other subjects such as soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.

Based on the job role, such training courses might continue up to 150 and 300 hours. Once the candidates complete this training, they will receive placement services from the Training Partners of this scheme.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Another addition to the courses list under PMKVY, this skill certification enables the Indian youth section to take up industry-specific skill training certification to secure a better livelihood. It is more suitable for individuals with prior learning and training experience. The RPL component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana aims at assessing their skills and providing certification accordingly. It aligns the unregulated workforce’s competencies with NSFQ.

Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) such as the Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) and others will receive incentives from this scheme for implementing RPL in any three of their projects. It has 12 hours of orientation for addressing knowledge gaps in terms of domain skills, soft skills and entrepreneurship tips.

Special Projects

PMKVY aims at creating a platform that facilitates training courses for particular areas and/or Government premises. These include projects not defined correctly in Qualification Packs (QPs) or National Occupational Standards (NOS). Such projects might require deviations from the terms and conditions of Short Term Training. It is expected to meet the vulnerable groups’ skilling needs (Scheduled Castes and Tribes, transgender, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), women, economically backward people, etc.).

Rozgar Mela

While collaborating with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana created the Rozgar Mela. It is a 1-2 day event conducted every six months. These are aimed at fast-tracking meetings between employers and job-seekers. Youths between 18 and 35 years are mainly invited to such events with academic qualifications, including 8th/10th/12th Pass, ITI, Diploma, Graduates, etc. They get to meet multiple employers and try to secure jobs.

Placement and Monitoring

PMKVY aims at linking aptitude, knowledge and aspirations of the Indian workforce to create new employment opportunities and enhance their productivity. Successful completion of every training course will enable these workers to find placement from this scheme, thereby improving their livelihoods. Its Training Partners will be responsible for placing the candidates to suitable employers.

Moreover, this scheme will monitor the performances and make sure that the candidates can receive the promised services. It uses self-audit reporting, call validations, surprise visits, and monitoring using the Skills Development Management System (SDMS).

What Are the Eligibility Criteria to Become a Beneficiary of PMKVY?

Thus, if you are a daily wage earner, PMKVY can significantly benefit you. It will help you enhance your skills and earn a better livelihood. The following section discusses the eligibility criteria required to become a beneficiary of this scheme with the Short-term Training.

For utilising the benefits of RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, you should meet the following criteria:

Applicants should be between 15 and 45 years of age.
They should have prior experience for the job role for which they seek an RPL certificate.
Aadhaar cards linked with their bank accounts should be present.
Applicants should meet the other requirements of the specific job role.

How to Apply for the PMKVY Scheme?

The process of applying to PMKVY is entirely online, designed specifically for the users’ convenience all across India. You can go through the following steps and complete this process.

Step 1: Visit the official website of PMKVY. From the quick links on the home page, click on the “Skill India” option.
Step 2: On this new page, click on the option of “Register as a Candidate”. It will open a registration form.
Step 3: Fill this form with your authentic and personal data. You will be asked to choose your preferred centre based on your location.
Step 4: After filling this form, click on "Submit". You will then have to log in with your registered username and password.
Step 5: Finally, you can search all the available training courses and apply for a suitable one from your account.

What Are the Documents Required for Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana?

You must wonder how to apply for this PMKVY to enjoy its benefits. For this, you need to have the following documents handy before starting the application process.

Aadhaar card
Voter ID
Bank account passbook
Passport size photograph

What Are the Benefits of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana?

Now that you identify the roles and responsibilities of PMKVY, it goes without saying that this scheme will help the business industries and the entire working class. You can check out the following benefits of this scheme to understand it further.

This scheme provides industry-relevant skill training courses to the working-class free of cost.
Valid skill certification and a Skill India card from this scheme will help the beneficiaries find jobs faster.
Candidates without recognised skills will receive certificates and increase their daily wages.
The business owners and employers will use higher skills and efficiency to meet performance gaps.
This scheme contributes to the national economy by increasing productivity.

Therefore, the Central Government’s initiative to change the working class by introducing PMKVY is a bold one. New skills training for the working class will help them gain better jobs and higher pay and contribute to the national economy with increased productivity.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Do I have to pay any registration fees for applying to PMKVY courses?

The entire registration process and application to courses under the PMKVY scheme are entirely free of cost, as the Indian Government is financing it.

What kind of courses are there in this scheme?

This scheme offers several industry-specific courses, including hospitality and tourism, textile, telecom, security services, rubber and steel, retail courses, etc.

Do candidates enrolled in skill training programs get any safety or health coverage?

While PMKVY focuses on employable skills, candidates often work in technical fields where injuries or health issues may arise. Some training partners provide accident coverage, but it’s also wise for individuals to explore affordable health insurance plans, especially those with coverage for occupational risks.