On Wednesday, a Parliamentary Standing Committee expressed concern over the “slow pace” in setting up the skill laboratory in schools under the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) Skill India program, given that only 858 labs were established in schools by March 2025, which is to establish 1,200 labs by December 2024, which is to distribute all the necessary equipment.
In its report on MSD’s response for 2024-25 budget recommendations, the Standing Committee on Labor, Textiles and Skill Development has regularly asked the Ministry to follow with the agencies concerned that the remaining 336 laboratories should be installed within the next six months.
The committee also asked MSDE to ensure the distribution and installation of equipment for six laboratories in Arunachal Pradesh and Ladakh, which delayed due to adverse weather conditions.
Under its major scheme – Sankalp (Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion) – MSDE started projects in June 2024 in June 2024 with recommendations with 400 Jawahar Navodaya Vidya (JNVs) and 200 eklavya model residential schools (NEP) to establish 400 Jawahar Navodaya Vidya (JNVs) and 200 eklavya model houses.
The purpose of these laboratories is to equip students with practical, industry-relevant skills to support their school-to-work infections. In June 2024, a request was issued by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) on the Government E-Marketplace (GEM) portal for a proposal (RFP) for supply and installation of equipment, and the contract was awarded in September 2024.
The panel has also expressed concern over the Ninklap scheme, citing low placement rates and slow progress on major goals.
A World Bank-aid scheme launched in 2018, a World Bank-aid scheme, strengthening institutional mechanisms for skill development and increasing access to quality training across the country, a World Bank-Hailed Plan.
The parliamentary panel flagged off important concerns in the implementation of the Shankalp scheme, given that almost 760 crores from 1,980 crore was sanctioned, only 5% of their allocation with states like Bihar and West Bengal was used, resulting in completion of only 19 of 65 projects under the national component.
The panel also criticized MSDE for poor placement results – only 40% of trained candidates secured jobs, with worse in some districts. This called for strong industry linkage and more market-esitory training. The panel also expressed concern over the slow rollouts of Skill India International Centers, with only 2 out of 30 centers declared in Budget 2023-24, and urged the ministry to rapidly track the remaining centers within a fixed time limit.
