Fake centres and ghost trainees expose irregularities in PMKVY scheme

Widespread irregularities have surfaced in the government’s flagship skilling initiative, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), with reports revealing fake documentation, absentee trainees, and even non-existent training centres. The revelations, first reported by the Indian Express, have caused major embarrassment for the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), which oversees the scheme.

Launched in 2015 to equip India’s youth with employable skills, PMKVY has so far trained over 1.64 crore individuals. However, after the rollout of PMKVY 4.0 in 2022, a wave of complaints surfaced, ranging from inflated billing and forged attendance records to shell training partners operating on paper alone.

Following a detailed review and inspection, the MSDE and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) have blacklisted 178 Training Partners (TPs) and Training Centres (TCs) across the country for “non-adherence to scheme norms.”

In a letter dated 30 October to state Principal Secretaries and Mission Directors, the Ministry admitted that legal action and recovery of funds have begun against those found guilty of large-scale violations.

The scale of the misconduct is nationwide. According to the Ministry’s data, Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 59 blacklisted entities, followed by Delhi (25), Madhya Pradesh (24) and Rajasthan (20). Several other states, including Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Tamil Nadu, also feature on the blacklist.

In many cases, the Ministry found that the registered training partners were different from the actual operating centres, raising questions over accountability and oversight. In 122 of the 178 cases, the identities of the TP and TC did not match, further exposing a web of front organisations and ghost centres.

Govt launches Skill India digital platform

The Ministry’s communication, accessed by The Indian Express, instructed state governments to scrutinise all future proposals under PMKVY and other skilling schemes “in view of the discrepancies observed in the centres.”

The findings have dealt a blow to the government’s ambitious skilling mission, which has been projected as a cornerstone of India’s employment strategy. With Rs 1,538 crore allocated for PMKVY in 2024–25, the exposure of such systemic corruption has triggered calls for tighter audits and greater transparency in the disbursal of funds.

Earlier, The Indian Express had reported in September that multiple FIRs were filed against defaulting training partners accused of falsifying attendance and claiming payments for trainees who never existed.

Despite repeated queries from the publication, NSDC has not responded on the details of recoveries or the total amount of misappropriated funds.

The scandal has put the government on the defensive, raising serious questions about monitoring, implementation, and the integrity of one of its flagship programmes designed to empower India’s youth, but now mired in allegations of corruption and inefficiency.