House Committee cites CAG report, pulls up govt. over skilling programme, Pg13

Key Highlights:

• The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), led by K.C. Venugopal, criticized the government's flagship Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme.
• The criticism stems from a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report highlighting a significant mismatch between skills imparted and actual job market demand.
• The report indicated that 40% of trainees were skilled in low-demand sectors like apparel, electronics, and retail, while high-demand sectors like food processing received only 0.48% of trainees.
• Only 41% of PMKVY trainees secured placements, raising concerns about the program's effectiveness.
• Instances of fraud, including certifications issued to a non-existent company for 33,493 participants, were also cited by the CAG.

Detailed Insights:

• The PMKVY, launched in July 2015 by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), aimed to provide industry-relevant skill training to a large number of Indian youth.
• The PAC, a parliamentary committee, scrutinizes government expenditure and examines audit reports from the CAG to ensure financial accountability and efficient use of public funds.
• The CAG's audit revealed a lack of effective planning in the PMKVY, despite the scheme being operational since 2015, leading to a disconnect with industry needs.
• The committee noted that the government had not addressed the scheme's shortcomings, with members from both ruling and opposition parties questioning the program's implementation.
• The government attributed implementation issues to State governments, which are responsible for executing the scheme at the ground level.
• The PAC's findings underscore the ongoing challenge of unemployment in the country and the need for more effective skill development initiatives.

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Key Concepts Involved:

• Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): A flagship skill development scheme of the Indian government launched in 2015 to provide vocational training to youth.
• Public Accounts Committee (PAC): A parliamentary committee that examines government accounts and the reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) to ensure financial accountability.
• Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG): An independent constitutional authority (under Article 148) responsible for auditing the accounts of the central and state governments, acting as the guardian of the public purse.