Under Skill India Mission, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) focuses on inclusive skill development, with the objective of increased women participation for better economic productivity.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Ministry through its various schemes viz. PradhanMantriKaushalVikasYojana (PMKVY), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS), Jan ShikshanSansthan (JSS), Craftsmanship Training Scheme (CTS) and Craft Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) provide skill development training to all sections of people including women. In order to increase the participation of woman under PMKVY, conveyance cost and boarding and lodging facilities are being provided.            

The Directorate General of Training (DGT) of MSDE, under its Craftsmanship Training Scheme (CTS), has imparted long-term vocational training through a network of 14,604 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs).

Government has made a provision of 30% reservation of seats for women candidates all over the country in Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and Industrial Training Centers (ITCs) for promoting women participation in skill training encouraging them through enrolling in various Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in various trades under Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) all over the country.

The Government has in place the policy to develop the teaching process in the way of training of trainer’s development programme under Craft Instructor Training Scheme (CITS) and conducts the programme in 19 National Skill Training Institutes (Women) exclusively for women in 15 states /UTs of India.

The JSS Division, MSDE is administering the Scheme of support to Jan ShikshanSansthans (NGOs) for Skill Development.

The mandate of this scheme is to provide skill training to the non-literate, neo-literates, persons with rudimentary level of education up-to 8th and school dropouts up to 12th standard in the age group of 14-45 years.

The priority groups are women, SC, ST, minority and other backward section of the society.

Third-party evaluation study report (year 2020-21) has shown that this scheme is very effective for empowerment of women.

The report says “Women representation has been recognized as 79 percent against the male (21 percent). The scheme is women dominated and catering to the mandated target group.