Skill Development and Expanding Workforce

The Press Information Bureau release notes that India’s Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above marginally eased to 59.3% in 2025, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey. Under the Skill India Mission, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re‑skill and up‑skill training through schemes such as PMKVY, Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS), reaching over 16.5 million, 3.66 million, 5.30 million and 10.74 million beneficiaries respectively. The National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has approved 10,209 qualifications, of which 2,975 are active. PMKVY’s short‑term training component reported a 42.8% placement rate (24.3 lakh placed out of 56.89 lakh certified). The PM SETU scheme seeks to upgrade 1,000 government ITIs using a hub‑spoke model with modern infrastructure and industry‑relevant courses.