PMKVY 4.0: Key skill development scheme misses 90% of target, gets 24% of budget for 2025-26, shows MDSE data

Skill Development: The union government released just 24% of the funds allocated to the Prime Minister Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), an important skill development scheme, in the 2025-26 financial year, and the scheme met just a tenth of its target count of certifications. Data shared by the ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) with parliament also shows substantial cuts in the budget estimates of the last three financial years.

Even in other financial years, the funds ultimately released were substantially less than the allocations.

PMKVY was launched in 2015 under the Skill India Mission with the goal of skill development through short-term training (STT), upskilling and reskilling, and recognition of prior (RPL). The current version of the scheme – PMKVY 4.0 – started in 2022 and is slated to continue till 2026 with discussions on for a PMVKY 5.0. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is the implementing agency.

As per the ministry, under PMKVY 4.0, the focus is on imparting training in emerging and new-age technologies, such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, electronics, green energy, electric vehicles, drones, cybersecurity, robotics and more.

PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana: 35% of funds not released in 3 years

In response to a question raised by BJP MP from Jharkhand, Kali Charan Singh, the minister of state for MSDE, Jayant Chaudhary stated, “PMKVY 4.0 is a demand driven scheme and there is no provision of state-wise fund allocation.”

However, the skill development ministry’s overall budget allocation and funds released data shows that from 2023-24 to 2025-26, the budget has been revised downward every year. Cumulatively, 35% of the original budget was not released. The table below provides details of the allocations.

The actuals were close to the revised estimate only in 2024-25.

Earlier, a parliamentary standing committee on skill development had expressed concern over the poor fund utilisation in the scheme.

The state-wise fund utilisation for the scheme also shows a massive reduction in the 2025-26 financial year. For instance, Rajasthan utilised just Rs 34.92 crore in 2025-2026, a sharp drop from Rs 292.42 crore it used the previous year.

Uttar Pradesh, the state with the most beneficiaries of the scheme, utilised Rs 64.9 crore in 2025-26, down from Rs 352.64 crore in 2024-25.

PMKVY 4.0 misses target by wide margin

In the last three financial years, a total of 27,31,699 beneficiaries were enrolled as part of the scheme. Of them only 19,13,573 candidates were certified, leaving 30% of candidates enrolled in the skill development courses uncertified. The table below provides details.

MSDE had set a physical target of certifying 30 lakh for financial year 2025-26; the Kaushal Vikas Yojana was able to train and certify just 3.04 lakh – a tenth of the target number. Certifying far fewer than target numbers is also a trend.

In the present financial year, 2026-27, till June 30, a total of 85,754 candidates have enrolled and 30,247 have been certified. An audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of the earlier versions of the schemes found that beneficiary details were missing, financial irregularities and other gaps in the rollout and management of the PMKVY. The CAG audit had blamed poor oversight by the NSDC.

Handicrafts and carpet, apparel and IT practices were the trades with large numbers of those trained.