Question map
With reference to Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, consider the following statements : 1. It is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment. 2. It, among other things, will also impart training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy. 3. It aims to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce of the country to the National Skill Qualification Framework. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Explanation
The correct answer is option C (statements 2 and 3 only).
**Statement 1 is incorrect**: Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) 2016-20 is a flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship[1], not the Ministry of Labour and Employment as stated in the question.
**Statement 2 is correct**: The scheme offers training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and[2] digital literacy[4], which aligns with the claim in statement 2.
**Statement 3 is correct**: The objective of RPL scheme (Recognition of Prior Learning, a component of PMKVY) is to align the competencies of the unregulated workforce to standardised National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)[5]. This directly supports the claim in statement 3 about aligning competencies of the unregulated workforce to NSQF.
Therefore, only statements 2 and 3 are correct, making option C the right answer.
Sources- [1] https://cms.rajyasabha.nic.in/UploadedFiles/Debates/OfficialDebatesDatewise/Floor/249/F28.06.2019.pdf
- [2] https://skillsip.nsdcindia.org/sites/default/files/kps-document/PMKVY-Skilling%20India%20Empowering%20Lives-March%202018.pdf
- [3] https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2024-08/India%20Employment%20-%20web_8%20April.pdf
- [4] https://www.ibef.org/government-schemes/pradhan-mantri-kaushal-vikas-yojana
- [5] Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 19: Population and Demographic Dividend > TACKLING SKILL DEFICIT THROUGH HUMAN CAPITAL > p. 574
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis question is a classic 'Ministry Trap.' Statement 1 is the gatekeeper: knowing that PMKVY belongs to the Ministry of Skill Development (MSDE) and NOT Labour & Employment allows you to eliminate options A and D immediately. The remaining battle is verifying Statement 3 (NSQF alignment), which is a core technical objective found in standard texts.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Statement 1: Is Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Labour and Employment?
- Statement 2: Does Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) include training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy and digital literacy?
- Statement 3: Does Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) aim to align competencies of India's unregulated workforce to the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)?
- Explicitly names PMKVY as a 'flagship scheme' and ties it to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
- Directly indicates MSDE is the implementing ministry for PMKVY, which addresses the claim about the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
- States PMKVY is a flagship scheme and links it to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
- Shows the scheme is part of the Skill India Mission under MSDE rather than the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
- Refers to PMKVY as 'its flagship scheme' when describing the Ministry's (MSDE's) activities.
- Connects the launch and purpose of PMKVY directly to the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
Explicitly states PMKVY is dealt by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), showing which ministry administers the scheme.
A student could check official ministry scheme lists or press releases to see which ministry labels a scheme as its 'flagship' and compare ownership.
Lists PMKVY among central skilling initiatives grouped under Skill India, suggesting PMKVY is part of the MSDE-led skilling portfolio rather than labour ministry programs.
Compare published portfolios of MSDE versus Ministry of Labour & Employment to see which ministry claims PMKVY as a principal scheme.
Mentions upcoming PMKVY 4.0 and digital skilling platforms, indicating active development within the national skilling framework (Skill India) rather than Labour ministry context.
Use this to infer administrative ownership and then verify which ministry brands PMKVY as 'flagship' in official documentation.
Provides examples of schemes explicitly listed as by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, none of which is PMKVY, showing what the labour ministry's scheme set looks like.
A student could compare this labour-ministry scheme list with MSDE scheme lists to see where PMKVY appears and whether labour ministry claims it as flagship.
Includes PMKVY alongside livelihood programmes (NRLM, NULM), indicating PMKVY is treated as a general national skilling/livelihood programme, not necessarily as a labour-ministry flagship.
Cross-reference national livelihood programme ownership to determine which ministry coordinates PMKVY and whether the labour ministry designates it 'flagship'.
- Directly states PMKVY provides training in the four named areas.
- From an NSDC/PMKVY-related document (highly relevant source).
- Explicitly notes PMKVY Training Centres offer training in soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy.
- From an ILO report summarizing PMKVY program content.
- Describes PMKVY courses and explicitly lists soft skills, entrepreneurship, financial and digital literacy as offered trainings.
- From an informational government/industry-facing summary (IBEF).
Mentions expansion of a unified Skill India Digital platform to enable demand-based formal skilling and to facilitate access to entrepreneurship schemes.
A student could infer PMKVY-linked digital platforms likely cover digital literacy and provide links/info on entrepreneurship training, then check official PMKVY course lists.
Groups PMKVY with other skill-development programs and cites the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) that organizes qualifications by knowledge, skills and aptitude.
Using NSQF's broad competency categories, a student might expect PMKVY to include non-technical skills (soft skills/aptitude) and then compare NSQF level descriptors with PMKVY curricula.
Describes PMKVY's Short-Term Training (STT) delivered through empanelled training providers who are mandated to organise placements, implying an employability focus.
From the placements/employability emphasis, a student could infer inclusion of soft skills or workplace-readiness modules and then examine PMKVY training components for such modules.
Lists PMKVY alongside livelihood programmes (NRLM, NULM) aimed at improving livelihoods and skills.
Given these schemes' livelihood focus, a student might reasonably suspect PMKVY includes financial literacy/entrepreneurship elements relevant to livelihoods and verify against scheme materials.
Includes PMKVY in a catalogue of government skilling initiatives, indicating it is a comprehensive national skilling effort.
A student could use this to justify expecting PMKVY to cover a range of employability skills (including soft skills/digital/entrepreneurship) and then consult PMKVY curricula for confirmation.
- Explicitly states the objective of the RPL component is to align competencies of the unregulated workforce to the NSQF.
- Directly links RPL orientation/training figures to PMKVY cohorts (PMKVY 1.0 and 2.0) and mentions subsequent PMKVY rollout.
- Lists PMKVY among government skill development schemes, situating it within broader efforts to overcome skill deficits.
- Defines NSQF as a competency-based framework, providing conceptual context for alignment claims.
- [THE VERDICT]: Manageable Trap. Statement 1 is a standard 'Ministry Swap' error; Statement 2 is 'Benevolent Generalization'; Statement 3 is Core Static.
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Human Capital Formation > Skill Development > The 'Skill India' Mission ecosystem.
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Map these confusing siblings: DDU-GKY (Min of Rural Dev), NULM (Min of Housing & Urban Affairs), PM-SYM (Min of Labour), PMKVY (MSDE). Know the difference between SANKALP (District-level focus, World Bank) and STRIVE (ITI focus, World Bank).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When studying schemes, create a hierarchy: 1. Nodal Ministry (High probability of swap), 2. Target Audience (Dropouts vs. Existing workers), 3. Technical Frameworks (NSQF, RPL). Do not get lost in the list of 40 specific courses; focus on the 'soft components' like digital literacy which are usually present.
Reference [1] explicitly states PMKVY is dealt with by the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE), relevant to judging ministry ownership claims.
High-yield for UPSC: many questions require identifying which ministry runs a given flagship scheme. Mastering this prevents misattribution across ministries and links to governance/administration topics; prepare by mapping major schemes to their administering ministries and noting exceptions.
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 19: Population and Demographic Dividend > TACKLING SKILL DEFICIT THROUGH HUMAN CAPITAL > p. 574
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 12: Indian Industry > by the Ministry of Labour & Employment) > p. 393
References [2] and [3] list PMKVY among central skilling initiatives and mention program expansions, situating PMKVY within the national skilling framework rather than Labour Ministry schemes.
Important for UPSC questions on employment, skilling and youth policy: understanding the suite of skilling schemes (PMKVY, NAPS, SANKALP, etc.) helps answer comparative and scheme-evolution questions and connects to topics on youth employment and MSME linkages.
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 7: Indian Economy after 2014 > Some initiatives of Govt. of India for Skilling: > p. 240
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 6. Youth power > p. 447
Reference [7] lists flagship schemes under the Labour & Employment ministry (e.g., PM-SYM) and does not include PMKVY, useful for ruling out PMKVY as that ministry's flagship.
UPS C aspirants should master which welfare/employment schemes belong to Labour & Employment versus other ministries; this aids in answering scheme-attribution, policy analysis, and administrative responsibility questions.
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 12: Indian Industry > by the Ministry of Labour & Employment) > p. 393
References explicitly describe PMKVY's core components — STT for fresh skilling and RPL to certify existing skills — which define what the scheme trains for.
High-yield for UPSC because questions often ask about the structure and modalities of flagship skill schemes; mastering these components links to topics on youth employment, Skill India mission and National Skills Qualifications Framework. Useful for answering demand-supply, implementation and outcomes questions on skilling.
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 19: Population and Demographic Dividend > TACKLING SKILL DEFICIT THROUGH HUMAN CAPITAL > p. 574
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 19: Population and Demographic Dividend > Measures to Overcome above Challenges > p. 573
Evidence mentions expansion of a digital ecosystem for skilling and a unified Skill India Digital platform tied to PMKVY 4.0.
Important for questions on modernization of scheme delivery and digital interventions in governance; connects to e-governance, MSME linkages and how digital platforms facilitate employer linkages and training access. Prepares candidate to discuss tech-enabled implementation and recent scheme iterations.
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 6. Youth power > p. 447
References note training providers are mandated to organise placements/rozgar melas and that the digital platform facilitates access to entrepreneurship schemes.
Helps answer questions on the objectives and outcome orientation of skilling programs — how training is linked to employment generation and entrepreneurship support. Useful for integrated answers combining scheme design, implementation mechanisms and employment policy.
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 19: Population and Demographic Dividend > TACKLING SKILL DEFICIT THROUGH HUMAN CAPITAL > p. 574
- Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 15: Budget and Economic Survey > 6. Youth power > p. 447
Reference [1] identifies RPL as the component whose objective is aligning unregulated workforce competencies to NSQF.
High-yield for questions on skill-policy implementation: understand RPL's role in formalising existing informal skills, its non-placement orientation, and how it interfaces with national frameworks. Connects to labour market reforms and vocational training policy analysis.
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 19: Population and Demographic Dividend > TACKLING SKILL DEFICIT THROUGH HUMAN CAPITAL > p. 574
The 'Recognition of Prior Learning' (RPL) mentioned in Statement 3 is a sub-component often tested. The logical sibling is the 'National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme' (NAPS)—know that NAPS mandates the government to share 25% of the prescribed stipend, unlike PMKVY which is fully grant-based training.
Connect PMKVY to GS-3 (Employment) and GS-1 (Society - Demographic Dividend). Use PMKVY's 'Placement Tracking' failure as a critique point for 'Jobless Growth' in Mains answers. Link 'Digital Literacy' in Stmt 2 to the 'Digital India' bridge.