Lok Sabha Question No. 2681 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-17
Subject: Skill Development Programme for North-eastern States' Students
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: Smt. Poonamben Hematbhai Maadam

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. - 2681

ANSWERED ON 17/03/2025

## SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR NORTH-EASTERN STATES' STUDENTS

2681.  SMT. POONAMBEN HEMATBHAI MAADAM:

Will  the  Minister  of  SKILL  DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased  to state:

- (a) whether the manner in which the Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Programme will ensure  that  female  students  from  North-Eastern  States  have  equal  access  to  resources, mentorship, and funding opportunities;
- (b) the  details  of  the  role  that  industry  leaders,  successful  entrepreneurs,  and  other  key stakeholders play in guiding the women entrepreneurs participating in said programme; and
- (c) the  steps  being  taken  by  the  Government  to  ensure  that  the  faculty  development component  of the programme  is effective in training educators to mentor students in entrepreneurship?

## ANSWER

THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

- (a)  to  (c)  The  government  is  implementing  various  initiatives  for  skill  and  entrepreneurship development  amongst  various  sections  of  the  society,  including  women,  in  the  North-Eastern States  of  India.  One  such  initiative  is  the  Swavalambini  Women  Entrepreneurship  Programme launched for female students by the Ministry in collaboration with the Women Entrepreneurship Platform  of  NITI  Aayog  as  knowledge  partner  on  7th  February,2025  in  the  selected  Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) of North Eastern States of Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram.

The  programme  introduces  a  structured,  multi-stage  training  approach  to  help  young women transition from ideation to successful enterprise creation. The program includes different components such as Faculty Development Programme (FDP) for training faculty members from the  selected  HEIs;  introductory  programme  to  create  entrepreneurial  awareness  among  1200 female students through Entrepreneurship  Awareness  Programmes (EAPs), followed by Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) to 600 students selected from EAP participants. This will be followed by 21 weeks of Mentoring and Handholding support.

The Ministry  will  oversee  the  execution,  supervision,  and  monitoring  of  the  programme, while NITI Aayog will organize workshops, provide mentoring support, facilitate seed funding, and recognize successful entrepreneurs through the Award To Reward (ATR) initiative.

During the mentoring and handholding support, industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs  will  guide  the  participants  by  providing  mentorship  and  hands-on  support. Successful entrepreneurs will be invited to  share their experiences, highlighting the challenges they overcame and the strategies they used to establish their businesses.

To  ensure  long-term  impact,  the  programme  also  includes  a  Faculty  Development Programme  (FDP),  where  faculty  members  from  participating  HEIs  shall  undergo  a  five-day training session. This initiative will equip educators with the necessary skills to mentor and guide aspiring women entrepreneurs within their institutions.

Further, the Ministry, through its autonomous institute, i.e., Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship,  Guwahati,  has  taken  the  following  initiatives  to  promote  entrepreneurship among female students from North-Eastern States:

1. Establish,  Develop  and  Manage  Entrepreneurship  Development  Centres  (EDCs)  and Incubation  Centers  (ICs)  in  North  East  Region's  Educational  Institutions -  Under  this Project, IIE is establishing, developing and managing 30 Entrepreneurship Development Centres (EDCs)  and  04  Incubation  Centers  (ICs)  in  North  East  Region's  Educational  Institutions  in collaboration with North East Council  (NEC).  The  programme  includes  Entrepreneurship Awareness  Programme  (EAP),  Entrepreneurship  Development  Programme  (EDP)  and  Faculty Development Program (FDP). Under the project, 4077 candidates have attended the EAP and 912 candidates trained under EDP, out of which 322 are women and 632 mentors were trained under FDP, out of which 278 are women.

2.  Skill  Strengthening  for  Industrial  Value  Enhancement  (STRIVE)  Project Under the  Skill Strengthening  for  Industrial  Value  Enhancement  (STRIVE)  project  of  MSDE,  IIE  conducted awareness  and  sensitization  programmes  at  National  Skill  Training  Institutes  (NSTIs)  and Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in North-Eastern States. These activities were followed by the selection of prospective entrepreneurs to undergo the Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP). The Institute has successfully conducted EDP training for the target groups and provided mentoring and handholding support to help trainees establish their enterprises.

This  initiative  effectively  fostered  an  entrepreneurial  ecosystem  within  technical  training institutions, enhancing the capacity of both students and faculty. IIE certified 11,000 candidates in EAPs and 8,332 in EDPs. Furthermore, 80 faculty members from 94 ITIs and 2 NSTIs in the NER received  specialized  training  through  Faculty  Development  Programmes  (FDPs).  2733  female students of ITIs /NSTIs have been successfully trained and certified under this project.

In  addition,  the  Ministry  is  implementing  various  schemes  for  skill  development  of  all sections of society throughout the country, including women in North-Eastern States. The details of the schemes are at Annexure-I.

Further, under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, the Entrepreneurship  Development  Centre  (EDC)  and  Incubation  Centre  (IC)  of  Tripura  University organized  various  programmes  like  Entrepreneurship  Awareness  Programmes  (EAPs)  and Entrepreneurship  Development  Programmes  (EDPs)  for students.  One  out  of  the  three  EAP programmes  was  dedicated  to  all  women  participants.  All  the  participants  were  offered  equal access  to  available  resources  in  the  centre  along  with  mentorship  opportunities.  During  the programme,  industry  experts  both  from  the  Government  and  private  institutions,  along  with successful entrepreneurs from the region were invited to highlight the nuances of entrepreneurship  to  the  participants.  A  5-Day  Faculty  Development  Programme  (FDP)  was conducted at the EDC, where faculty members across colleges and Higher Education Institutions of  Tripura  participated.  The  faculty  members  were  briefed  about  entrepreneurship  to  further sensitize female students in their respective institutions. Further, all the selected ideas will receive equal initial financial support from North Eastern Council (NEC) during incubation phase.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY OF PART (a) to (c) OF LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO.2681 ANSWERED  ON  17.03.2025  REGARDING  'SKILL  DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME FOR NORTH-EASTERN STATES' STUDENTS'

The  details  of  various  schemes  of  MSDE  for  skill  development  of  all  the  sections  of society throughout the country, including women in North-Eastern States are as under:

1. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): Under PMKVY skill development training is imparted through Short-Term Training (STT) and Up-skilling and Re-skilling through Recognition of  Prior Learning (RPL) to youth across the country. Under PMKVY 4.0, special initiatives have been  introduced  to  enhance  female  participation  in  skill  development  and  entrepreneurship  in North-Eastern States. As on 31.12.2024, a total of 8,20,039 female have been trained/ oriented in North-Eastern  States,  6,06,274  have  been  Certified,  87,656  have  been  reported  placed  and 12,982 have been reported self-employed.

Industry leaders play a critical role in mentorship, training, and employment linkages under PMKVY 4.0. Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) develop industry-relevant curricula, while public-private partnerships (PPPs) with NASSCOM, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), and  Micro,  Small  and  Medium  Enterprises  offer  internships  and entrepreneurial guidance.

PMKVY  4.0  also  focuses  on  faculty  capacity  building  through  National  Skill  Training Institutes  (NSTIs),  Centres  of  Excellence  (CoEs)  and  Institutes  of  Eminence. Trainers  undergo Training  of  Trainers  (ToT)  certification  to  ensure  alignment  with  evolving  entrepreneurial  skills which are embedded in the employability skill module.

2. Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) scheme provides skill  training  in  a  non-formal  mode  at  the doorsteps  of  the  beneficiary  through  registered  Societies  (NGOs)  with  100%  grant  from  the Government  of  India.  The  objective  of  the  scheme  is  to  increase  the  household  income  by promoting  self/wage  employment  through  skill  development  training.  The  scheme  is  aimed  at non-literates,  neo-literates,  and  individuals  with  rudimentary  education,  as  well  as  school dropouts up to class 12th, particularly in remote tribal and hilly areas in the age group of 15-45 years,  with  age  relaxation  for  Divyangjan  and  other  deserving  cases,  especially  women.  The priority  groups  for  the  scheme  are  women,  SCs,  STs,  OBCs,  and  minorities,  with  a  special emphasis on tribal communities in the rural and hilly areas of the North-Eastern States. During the Financial Year 2018-19 to 2024-25 (till February 2025), a total of 1,35,195 beneficiaries have been  trained  under  the  scheme  in  North-Eastern  States,  out  of  which  99,388  are  female beneficiaries.

3. National  Apprenticeship  Promotion  Scheme  (NAPS) launched  in  August  2016  aims  to promote apprenticeship training throughout the country. The scheme was extended to continue as  NAPS-2  from  2022-23  and  promotes  apprenticeship  training,  by  providing  partial  stipend support to the apprentices engaged under the Apprentices Act, 1961 and the Rules thereunder. Under, NAPS-2, the stipend support by Government of India (GoI) is paid through Direct Benefit Transfer  (DBT)  to  the  bank  account  of  apprentices.  Apprenticeship  training  is  open  to  all categories of candidates including Women from North Eastern States. During the Financial Years 2018-19 to 2024-25 (till February 2025), a total of 47,395 apprentices have been engaged under the scheme in North-Eastern States, out of which 18,658 are women.

4. Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS): Directorate General of Training (DGT), under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), implements the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS)  through  a  network  of  Industrial  Training  Institutes  (ITIs)  for  the  youth  of  the  country, including women.

In ITIs, craftsmen training is provided in 168 NSQF aligned trades. The training courses have been designed to impart basic skills and knowledge in the trades so as to prepare trainee for  employment  as  a  semiskilled  worker. At  present,  there  are  14,612  ITIs  established  in  the country, out of which 91 are Government ITIs in North-Eastern States and 19 are private ITIs in North-Eastern  States. A  total  of  11,274  women  trainees  enrolled  in  ITIs  under  CTS  in  NorthEastern States from 2019-20 to 2023-24.

Further,  DGT  has  implemented  Enhancing  Skill  Development  Infrastructure  (ESDI) scheme in North-Eastern States. The scheme envisages to enhance the existing infrastructure of skill  development  in  North  Eastern States. The  scheme is  aimed for  upgradation of  22 ITIs by introducing three new trades per ITI with 100% Central funding, establishment of 34 new ITIs in 8 North Eastern States with 90% Central and 10% State funding, and supplementing infrastructure deficiencies  in  28  ITIs  by  constructing  new  hostel,  boundary  wall  and  supplementing  old  and obsolete tools and equipment with 100% Central funding.

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