The SANKALP (Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) scheme, launched in 2018 by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship with assistance from the World Bank, aims to strengthen short-term skill training by improving institutional capacity, ensuring industry relevance, and promoting inclusion of marginalised groups. However, audit findings by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India and observations of the Public Accounts Committee have highlighted concerns such as underutilisation of funds, slow implementation, weak monitoring mechanisms, and lack of preparedness. The issue underscores the need for stronger governance, outcome-based implementation, better industry linkages, and integration of vocational education within the school system to improve employability and effectively harness India’s demographic potential.
Click to View MoreIndia’s student migration has expanded rapidly, shifting from an elite, scholarship-based phenomenon to a mass, self-financed mobility strategy driven by middle-class aspirations and limited domestic opportunities. While studying abroad promises global exposure and social mobility, many students face high debt, deskilling, precarious work and uncertain post-study outcomes, leading to reverse remittances and brain waste rather than skill gains. The trend highlights structural gaps in India’s education–employment ecosystem and the need for stronger domestic institutions, better regulation of migration intermediaries and policies that align education with meaningful employment at home.
Click to View MoreThe CAG audit of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana highlights that while the scheme significantly expanded skill training and certification across India, serious shortcomings in beneficiary verification, financial disbursement, and monitoring weakened its impact. Issues such as invalid bank account details, delayed DBT payments, closed training centres, and duplicate documentation revealed gaps between digital records and ground realities. The findings underline the need for stronger data integrity, institutional oversight, and outcome-based evaluation to ensure that large-scale skilling initiatives translate into meaningful employment outcomes.
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