SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has 543 functional training centres under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, along with 56 Industrial Training Institutes and 632 establishments under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha, but the Centre has not disclosed how many rural youth from the Union Territory are actually being trained or placed through these facilities.
The figures were shared by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in response to a question on skilling centres for rural youth. While the government maintained that its Skill India Mission caters to all sections of society, including rural youth, the reply did not provide Jammu and Kashmir specific data on beneficiaries trained, placed or employed over the last three years, leaving a critical gap in assessing the real impact of the infrastructure-heavy skilling push in the region.
As per the ministry’s statement, Jammu and Kashmir currently has 543 PMKVY centres, two Jan Sikshan Sansthan centres, 632 functional establishments under the apprenticeship scheme and 56 functional ITIs under the Craftsman Training Scheme. In comparison, Andhra Pradesh has 370 PMKVY centres and 521 ITIs, while Uttar Pradesh leads nationally with 2,581 PMKVY centres and 3,300 ITIs.
Despite this relatively dense network in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre acknowledged that skilling centres are not set up exclusively for rural youth. Instead, training centres are established on a demand driven basis across schemes such as PMKVY, Jan Sikshan Sansthan, apprenticeship programmes and ITIs, without rural specific targeting in terms of centre design or reporting of outcomes.
The ministry also confirmed that there is no separate announcement of new rural only skilling centres.
Expansion of training infrastructure, it said, depends on assessed demand and industry requirements, rather than geography or rural deprivation indicators. This approach raises questions for a Union Territory where rural unemployment and underemployment remain persistent challenges, particularly among youth with limited access to higher education and industry exposure.
