Lok Sabha Question No. 209 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-21
Subject: Proposal of CSE for Increasing Apprenticeship Stipend
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: Shri Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane, Shri Sudheer Gupta, Shri Manish Jaiswal, Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRRED QUESTION NO -209

ANSWERED ON 21/07/2025

## PROPOSAL OF CSE FOR INCREASING APPRENTICESHIP STIPEND

209.        SHRI DHAIRYASHEEL SAMBHAJIRAO MANE: SHRI CHAVAN RAVINDRA VASANTRAO: SHRI MANISH JAISWAL: SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

Will the MINISTER OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP be pleased to state:

- (a) whether Central Apprenticeship Council (CSE) has given a proposal to the Government  to  increase  the  apprenticeship  stipend  by  30  per  cent  under  PM  National Apprenticeship  Promotion  scheme  and  National  Apprenticeship  Training  Scheme  to  make skill  development  more  employment  oriented,  reduce  dropout  rate  and  attract  more candidates in different sectors;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the response of the Government thereto;
- (c) whether  the  Government  proposes  to  include  demanding  sectors  like  Information Technology,  Telecommunication,  Biotechnology,  Renewable  Energy  in  the  category  of selected sectors for stipend under the said schemes;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government has launched /likely to launch a training program to provide training to one lakh students in artificial intelligence and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (d) Apprenticeship training in India, governed by the Apprentices Act, 1961 and the rules framed thereunder, serves as a cornerstone for skill development through industry-led, on-the-job  training.  The  Central  Apprenticeship  Council  (CAC ) ,  constituted  under  the  Act, plays  a  pivotal  role  in  shaping  national  apprenticeship  policies,  aligning  vocational  training with industry demands, and expanding opportunities across diverse sectors of the economy. The 38th meeting of the CAC , held on 26th May 2025 , marked a significant step forward in modernizing the country's apprenticeship ecosystem. Among the key decisions taken was a 36% increase in apprentice stipends, with a provision for future revisions to be linked to the

Consumer  Price  Index  (CPI) . The  recommendation  of  the  CAC  has  been  taken  into consideration by the Government, and the process for amending the Apprenticeship Rules, 1992 has been initiated for notification in the Official Gazette. The revised stipend structure will  apply  to  all  apprentices  engaged  under  the  Apprentices  Act,  1961 , including  those  in emerging sectors such as Information Technology, Telecommunications , Biotechnology, and Renewable Energy.

(e) The  Ministry  is  actively  working  to  strengthen  training  infrastructure  and  promote artificial intelligence (AI) skill development through the Directorate General of Training (DGT), the  National  Skill  Development  Corporation  (NSDC),  and  flagship  initiatives  such  as  the National  Apprenticeship  Promotion  Scheme  (NAPS)  and  Pradhan  Mantri  Kaushal  Vikas Yojana  4.0  (PMKVY  4.0).  As  part  of  this  effort,  a  self-learning  micro-module  titled 'AI  for Entrepreneurship' , available on  the Skill  India  Digital  Hub  (SIDH),  has  seen  23,163 enrolments since its launch in December 2024, with 11,089 participants certified so far. SIDH is a mobile-first digital public infrastructure (DPI) that integrates Skill India and Digital India initiatives. Under PMKVY 4.0, a total of 34,709 individuals have been trained in AI-related job roles such as Business Intelligence Analyst, Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, and DevOps Engineer, among others. Additionally, apprenticeship training under the Apprentices Act,  1961,  allows  establishments  with  four  or  more  workers  to  offer  AI-related  on-the-job learning  opportunities.  Under  NAPS-2,  1,480  apprentices  have  been  engaged  in  eight  AIrelated  trades  between  FY  2023 -24  and  FY  2025 -26  (as  of  June  30,  2025).  Further enhancing  foundational  AI  training,  a  new  Craftsmen  Training  Scheme  (CTS)  trade  titled Artificial  Intelligence  Programming Assistant has been launched from the 2024 -25 session across 19 National Skill  Training  Institutes  (NSTIs),  with  an  annual  intake  capacity  of  504 students.

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