Lok Sabha Question No. 5070 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-24
Subject: Skilling under  Project UNNATI
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, Shri Prabhakar Reddy Vemireddy, Shri G M Harish Balayogi, Shri Putta Mahesh Kumar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRY AND INTERNAL TRADE

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5070.

TO BE ANSWERED ON TUESDAY, THE 24 TH  MARCH, 2026.

## SKILLING UNDER PROJECT UNNATI

## 5070.  SHRI PRABHAKAR REDDY VEMIREDDY:

SHRI PUTTA MAHESH KUMAR:

SHRI MAGUNTA SREENIVASULU REDDY:

SHRI G M HARISH BALAYOGI:

## Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY be pleased to state: वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्री

- (a) the details regarding the measures undertaken by the Government to provide skill  development opportunities under Project UNNATI Andhra Pradesh, with special focus on rural, backward, and underdeveloped regions;
- (b) the details regarding the scheme-wise and year-wise details of funds allocated, sanctioned, and released under Project UNNATI and other skilling programmes in Andhra Pradesh during the last five years;
- (c) the  details  regarding  the  steps  taken  to  ensure  equitable  access  to  such programmes for youth from diverse  socio-economic  backgrounds  in  Andhra Pradesh, including  those  belonging  to  Scheduled  Castes,  OBCs, minorities, and other marginalised communities; and
- (d) whether  the  Government  has  undertaken  any  steps  to  raise  awareness regarding the benefits of project UNNATI, if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## वाणिज्य एवं उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद ) THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

- (a) to (c): Project 'UNNATI' is a Central Sector Scheme launched by the Government of India in December 2019. It aims to enhance the livelihoods of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA  workers  by  providing  a  skill  for  either  self-employment  or  wage employment. Under this initiative, one adult member (aged 18-45 years)  from each household that has completed 100 days of work under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA since FY 2018-19 was eligible for training. As per UNNATI Guidelines it  is  clearly  mentioned  that  para  5  of  Schedule-I  of  MGNREGA,  2005,  the process  for selecting individuals for training  from  such  households  (as mentioned in para 5 of these guidelines) shall be prioritized as under:
- i. Scheduled Castes
- ii. Scheduled Tribes
- iii. Nomadic tribes
- iv. Denotified tribes
- v. Other families below the poverty line
- vi. Women-headed households
- vii. Physically handicapped headed households
- viii. Beneficiaries of land reform
- ix. The beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojna- Gramin
- x. Beneficiaries under the Scheduled Tribes and Other traditional Forest and Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (2 of 2007), and after exhausting the eligible beneficiaries under the above categories, on lands of the small or marginal farmers as defined in the Agriculture Debt Waiver and Debt Relief project, 2008 subject to the condition that such households shall have a job card with at least one-member willing to work on the project undertaken on their land or homestead.

The selected  household  was  to  be  prioritized  on  the  Socio  Economic  Caste Census (SECC) deprivation criteria. All the States/UTs were requested to follow the Guidelines of Project UNNATI for selecting the candidates and provide them skilling under Project UNNATI.

In last five years, an amount of ₹ 7.64 Crores was released by Government of India  to  the  State  of  Andhra  Pradesh  in  the  financial  year  2020-2021  under Project UNNATI. An amount of ₹ 1108.24 Crores (60% - Government of India share - ₹ 664.94 Crores and 40% State Government share - ₹ 443.30 Crores) was  allocated  under  Deen  Dayal  Upadhyaya  Grameen  Kaushalya  Yojana (DDU-GKY) in last five years.

- (d): The project UNNATI is implemented in convergence with training programs of Rural  Skills  Division,  Deen  Dayal  Upadhyaya  Grameen  Kaushalya  Yojana (DDU-  GKY)  and  Rural  Self  Employment  Training  Institutes  (RSETI),  and therefore  States/UTs  follow  the  awareness  and  branding  strategies  of  these programmes. The Programme Officers are responsible to identify and select the eligible MGNREGA workers for skilling under Project UNNATI. The Gram Rojgar Sewaks visit eligible workers at the grassroots level to inform them about the scheme's features, benefits, and eligibility criteria.

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