Lok Sabha Question No. 5026 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-23
Subject: National Apprenticeship and Training Schemes
Ministry: SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Asked by: Dr. C M Ramesh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SKILL DEVELOPMENT AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5026

ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026

## NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING SCHEMES

5026.  DR. C M RAMESH:

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

- (a) the  details  of  total  number  of  apprentices  enrolled  under  the  National  Apprenticeship Promotion  Scheme (NAPS) and the National Apprenticeship Training  Scheme  (NATS) during the year 2025 in the country, State/UT-wise including Andhra Pradesh;
- (b) the  details  of  the  sectors  and  industries  with  the  highest  apprenticeship  engagement along with the role of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) therein;
- (c) the  steps  taken/being  taken  by  the  Government  to  improve  completion  rates,  stipend support and transition of apprentices into regular employment; and
- (d) whether the Government proposes any further incentives or regulatory simplifications to expand  participation  in  apprenticeship  programme  in  the  country,  if  so,  the  details  thereof, State/UT-wise, particularly in the said State?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

- (a)        The  Government  of  India,  under  the  Apprentices  Act,  1961,  implements  two  flagship Central Sector schemes namely National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), launched in August 2016 and continued as NAPS-2 from 2022-23 by Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) and the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS) launched in  1973 by the Ministry of  Education (MoE) and approved for its continuation up to 2025-26. Together these schemes, support apprenticeship engagement in the country. In the year 2025, apprentices  engaged under NAPS and NATS are 11.84 lakh and 5.23 lakh respectively. The details of the number of apprentices under NAPS and NATS during the year 2025, State-wise (including Andhra Pradesh) is at Annexure .
- (b)            In  both  the  schemes,  apprenticeship  participation  is  significantly  strong  in  industries falling  under  top  13  sectors  namely  Automotive,  Banking,  Financial  Services  &  Insurance (BFSI), Electrical (including New and Renewable Energy), Electronics, IT/ITeS, Life Sciences, Logistic  and  Supply  Chain,  Production  and  Manufacturing,  Retail,  Rubber,  Service  sectors (Education,  Health  Care,  Professional  services)  and  Tourism  &  Hospitality.  Role  of  MSMEs under Apprenticeship training  is  to  provide  on-the  job  training  to  apprentices.  Establishments including  MSMEs that have engaged apprentices are 25,423 and 16,400 under NAPS-2 and NATS respectively.
- (c)          Both  NAPS  and  NATS  support  apprenticeship  engagement  across  the  country  by providing partial stipend support through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)  directly to the apprentices  engaged  under  the  Apprentice  Act,  1961.  The  Government  share  of  stipend provided to apprentices under NAPS is limited to 25% of prescribed minimum stipend (up to a maximum of  Rs.1,500  per  month,  per  apprentice)  and  under  NATS  is  limited  to  50%  of  the

prescribed  minimum  stipend  (up  to  Rs.4,500  per  month  per  apprentice).  The  Government recognises  the  successfully  completed  apprentices  by  issuing  nationally  recognised  National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) under Designated trades of NAPS, Certificate of Proficiency (CoP) for Optional trades of NAPS and NATS. In addition, the government has issued letters considering the training period undergone by an apprentice as an experience under NAPS (for ITI graduates). All these efforts support completion outcomes and are translating apprenticeship training to employment. The third-party evaluation reports from AJNIFM (Arun Jaitley National Institute  of  Finance  Management)  on  NAPS  and  NILERD  (National  Institute  of  Labour Economics Research and Development) on NATS indicates apprentices being engaged in a fulltime employment on completion of their training at 72% and 74% respectively. Further, the 38th meeting  of  the  CAC  (Central  Apprenticeship  Council)  held  on  26th  May  2025,  marked  a significant advancement in modernizing the country's apprenticeship framework. Key decisions included a 36% increase in apprentice stipends, with future revisions linked to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). This acts as an impetus for apprentices to complete the training.

(d)      The  Government  is  implementing  the  following  measures  to  expend  the  participation  in Apprenticeship programme in the country including Andhra Pradesh. The Council in the CAC meeting approved the introduction of Apprenticeship Embedded Degree/ Diploma programme (AEDP) under the ambit of the Act encouraging degree apprenticeships and promoting flexible delivery modes such as online and blended learning, and enabling apprentices to train at client locations  within  India  and  even  abroad.  Further,  inclusive  measures -such  as  dedicated provisions for persons with benchmark disabilities -were introduced. If the prescribed training places  for  fresher  apprentice  and  skill  certificate  holder  apprentice  cannot  be  filled,  then  the establishments may  fill the same  with  other categories of apprentices.  The  scope  of apprenticeship  training  was  also  expanded  to  include  emerging  sectors  under  the  NIC-2008 classification (e.g., IT, biotechnology, and renewable energy). In addition, the Council recommended  the  establishment  of  new  regional  apprenticeship  boards  beyond  the  existing ones in Chennai, Kanpur, Kolkata, and Mumbai. These decisions, made in consultation with the CAC, have been duly approved by the Hon'ble Minister and notified through Gazette of India. Under  NAPS,  to  promote  apprenticeship  engagement  in  North-Eastern  Region  (NER),  a focused pilot initiative was launched on 20.05.2025, that facilitates an additional incentive upto ₹ 1,500 per month to NER candidates undergoing Apprenticeship in any other state other than their  domiciled  State.  This  is  over  and  above  the  government  share of  stipend  upto  ₹1,500 under NAPS.

## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  LOK  SABHA  UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5026 ANSWERED ON 23.03.2026 REGARDING 'NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING SCHEMES'

The  details  of  the  number  of  apprentices  under  NAPS&  NATS  during  2025,  State-wise (including Andhra Pradesh) is given below:

| S No.   | State / UT Name                              | Apprentices Engaged under NAPS   | Apprentices Engaged under NATS   |
|---------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
| 1.      | Andaman And Nicobar Islands                  | 222                              | 18                               |
| 2.      | Andhra Pradesh                               | 26,193                           | 3,696                            |
| 3.      | Arunachal Pradesh                            | 165                              | 17                               |
| 4.      | Assam                                        | 8,811                            | 1,721                            |
| 5.      | Bihar                                        | 6,855                            | 16,565                           |
| 6.      | Chandigarh                                   | 1,732                            | 2,053                            |
| 7.      | Chhattisgarh                                 | 6,426                            | 2,342                            |
| 8.      | Delhi                                        | 30,153                           | 9,727                            |
| 9.      | Goa                                          | 12,769                           | 957                              |
| 10.     | Gujarat                                      | 1,09,832                         | 15,817                           |
| 11.     | Haryana                                      | 80,573                           | 44,274                           |
| 12.     | Himachal Pradesh                             | 10,672                           | 2,350                            |
| 13.     | Jammu And Kashmir                            | 1,249                            | 471                              |
| 14.     | Jharkhand                                    | 10,309                           | 10,158                           |
| 15.     | Karnataka                                    | 1,10,555                         | 27,456                           |
| 16.     | Kerala                                       | 15,243                           | 18,152                           |
| 17.     | Ladakh                                       | 22                               | 0                                |
| 18.     | Lakshadweep                                  | 8                                | 2                                |
| 19.     | Madhya Pradesh                               | 31,871                           | 6,777                            |
| 20.     | Maharashtra                                  | 3,03,763                         | 1,14,127                         |
| 21.     | Manipur                                      | 178                              | 116                              |
| 22.     | Meghalaya                                    | 276                              | 39                               |
| 23.     | Mizoram                                      | 272                              | 72                               |
| 24.     | Nagaland                                     | 25                               | 42                               |
| 25.     | Odisha                                       | 13,195                           | 28,279                           |
| 26.     | Puducherry                                   | 5,861                            | 748                              |
| 27.     | Punjab                                       | 23,069                           | 2,034                            |
| 28.     | Rajasthan                                    | 29,260                           | 15,100                           |
| 29.     | Sikkim                                       | 515                              | 651                              |
| 30.     | Tamil Nadu                                   | 1,33,189                         | 56,112                           |
| 31.     | Telangana                                    | 45,520                           | 35,604                           |
| 32.     | The Dadra And Nagar Haveli And Daman AND Diu | 4,157                            | 511                              |
| 33.     | Tripura                                      | 518                              | 295                              |
| 34.     | Uttar Pradesh                                | 1,00,553                         | 21,706                           |
| 35.     | Uttarakhand                                  | 29,014                           | 9,172                            |
| 36.     | West Bengal                                  | 31,406                           | 75,863                           |
|         | Total                                        | 11,84,431                        | 5,23,024                         |

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