The Government of India launched the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) in August, 2016 with the objective of promoting apprenticeship training and increasing engagement of apprentices across the country. Since 2022-23, the scheme continues as NAPS-2.

Apprenticeship training is conducted in actual work environments using the training facilities available with participating establishments including technology companies, enabling hands-on-learning and industry exposure.

To strengthen collaboration with industries and technology-driven companies, apprenticeship training is delivered through participating establishments under the provisions of the Apprentices Act, 1961. The scheme facilitates industry-led, on-the-job training through the National Apprenticeship Portal (www.apprenticeshipindia.gov.in), support from Regional Directorates of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (RDSDEs), State Apprenticeship Advisers (SAAs) and empanelled Third Party Aggregators (TPAs).

In order to strengthen collaboration with industries and technology companies for providing industry-aligned skill training across the country, the following specific steps have been taken by MSDE:

i.     National Council for Vocational Education and Training (NCVET) has been set up as an overarching regulator establishing regulations and standards to ensure quality in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) space.

 ii.   The Awarding Bodies recognized by NCVET are expected to develop the qualifications as per industry demand and map them with the identified occupations as per the National Classification of Occupations, 2015 and obtain industry validations.

 iii. 36 Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), led by industry leaders in the respective sectors, have been set up, which identify the skill development needs of respective sectors as well as to determine skill competency standards.

iv.    Directorate General of Training (DGT) under the aegis of MSDE is implementing Flexi MoU Scheme and Dual System of Training (DST), which are meant to provide training to ITI students in industrial environment as per their requirements.

 v.    Under PMKVY, the new age/future skills job-roles have been specially aligned with Industry 4.0 requirements in areas like AI/ML, Robotics, Mechatronics, Drone Technology, etc. for upcoming market demand and industry requirements.

vi.   DGT has introduced new age /future skills courses under CTS to provide training in emerging areas such as 5G Network Technician, Artificial Intelligence Programming Assistant, Cyber Security Assistant, Drone Technician etc.

vii. DGT has signed MoU with IT Tech companies like IBM, CISCO, Microsoft, AWS etc. to ensure industry linkages for the institutes at the state and regional levels. These partnerships facilitate the provision of technical and professional skills training in modern technologies.

viii. The National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 envisages greater integration of vocational education with mainstream education and promotes seamless mobility between academic and vocational pathways. In line with this vision, the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme (AEDP), developed in collaboration with UGC and AICTE, enables students enrolled in degree and diploma programmes to undertake apprenticeship training as an integral part of their curriculum. The programme enhances employability, promotes outcome-based learning, strengthens industry-academia linkages and facilitates acquisition of industry-relevant skills.

ix.   Kaushal Melas and Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) are organised to facilitate placements and apprenticeship opportunities for the certified candidates.

To promote apprenticeship training under NAPS, the Government has undertaken several measures, including:

1. Implementation of NAPS-2 across the country with partial stipend support to eligible apprentices.
2. Launch of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for direct credit of Government stipend support into apprentices’ bank accounts.
3. Simplification and digitization of apprenticeship processes through the National Apprenticeship Portal.
4. Facilitation of apprenticeship engagement through Third Party Aggregators (TPAs).
5. Conduct of Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) for mobilization of youth and industry participation.
6. Expansion of apprenticeship opportunities across Designated and Optional Trades.
7. Continuous engagement with industries, MSMEs and other stakeholders for strengthening apprenticeship adoption.

Under NAPS-2, the Government of India provides stipend support to eligible apprentices through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism. The Government's share is limited to 25% of the stipend paid by the establishment, subject to a maximum of ₹1,500 per month per apprentice during the apprenticeship training period. The stipend support is directly credited into the bank accounts of apprentices through the National Apprenticeship Portal, thereby ensuring transparency, efficiency and timely payment.

Details of Govt. share of stipend amount disbursed through DBT under NAPS-2 across the county are provided in Table-I of the Annexure.

To increase participation of women in apprenticeship training and expand apprenticeship opportunities across sectors, the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme encourages engagement of apprentices, including women, across diverse sectors such as manufacturing, engineering, logistics, agriculture and allied activities, food processing, retail, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, IT-ITeS, electronics and other service sectors.

The Government regularly organizes Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAMs) across the country, in one-third of the districts of each State every month, with a focus on mobilizing youth, including women candidates. Further, during stakeholder engagements with States, Regional Directorates of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (RDSDEs), State Apprenticeship Advisers (SAAs), industries and Third-Party Aggregators (TPAs), special emphasis is placed on increasing the participation of women apprentices across sectors.

To enhance availability of apprenticeship opportunities, the Apprentices Act, 1961 was amended in 2014 to introduce Optional Trades, enabling industries to design apprenticeship programmes aligned to their specific skill requirements.

The scheme also promotes safe, inclusive and conducive training environments for all apprentices including women apprentices. Under Section 14 of the Apprentices Act, 1961, apprentices are covered by the relevant safety, health and welfare provisions applicable to workers under the Factories Act, 1948 and the Mines Act, 1952, as applicable. Consequently, apprentices are entitled to workplace safety measures, welfare facilities and protective provisions similar to regular employees. In addition, apprentices are covered under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act). Further, Section 15 of the Apprentices Act, 1961 regulates working hours and leave provisions. Apprentices aged 18 years and above are trained during normal working hours of the establishment, while working hours for apprentices below 18 years are ordinarily restricted between 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM, except where specifically permitted by the concerned Apprenticeship Adviser.

The participation of women in apprenticeship training has increased substantially over the years. The share of women apprentices in total apprenticeship engagement has risen from 7.74% in FY 2016-17 to 24.95% in FY 2025-26, reflecting the positive impact of policy interventions under NAPS and the expansion of apprenticeship opportunities in service-sector trades.

ANNEXURE

 

Table-I Details of Govt. share of stipend amount disbursed through DBT under NAPS-2 across the county are as under. (Rs in Crore)

#	State/UT	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26	2026-27	Total
	Andaman And Nicobar Islands	0.03	0.05	0.03	0.01	0.12
	Andhra Pradesh	11.35	18.32	21.97	7.57	59.21
	Arunachal Pradesh	0.14	0.24	0.37	0.07	0.82
	Assam	4.81	5.05	10.31	2.28	22.45
	Bihar	15.59	24.48	26.74	9.03	75.84
	Chandigarh	0.24	0.33	0.41	0.16	1.14
	Chhattisgarh	2.8	3.87	4.45	1.49	12.61
	Delhi	4.47	9.14	12.19	3.91	29.71
	Goa	0.78	1.28	1.51	0.44	4.01
	Gujarat	14.34	27.31	29.24	9.6	80.49
	Haryana	6.98	10.62	10.64	3.55	31.79
	Himachal Pradesh	3.43	4.61	4.65	1.67	14.36
	Jammu And Kashmir	0.4	0.8	1.02	0.28	2.5
	Jharkhand	8.13	13.58	14.17	4.47	40.35
	Karnataka	20.11	32.9	35.08	10.69	98.78
	Kerala	5.93	10.77	10.64	3.19	30.53
	Ladakh	0	0	0.01	0	0.01
	Lakshadweep	0	0.01	0.01	0	0.02
	Madhya Pradesh	11.99	21.49	23.98	7.28	64.74
	Maharashtra	85.32	117.35	121.5	37.07	361.24
	Manipur	0.28	0.61	1.56	0.29	2.74
	Meghalaya	0.19	0.28	1	0.22	1.69
	Mizoram	0.13	0.19	0.67	0.13	1.12
	Nagaland	0.12	0.29	0.58	0.11	1.1
	Odisha	10.73	13.45	15.94	4.75	44.87
	Puducherry	0.55	1.13	1.4	0.41	3.49
	Punjab	2.69	4.05	5.33	2.05	14.12
	Rajasthan	5.99	9.78	13.22	4.63	33.62
	Sikkim	0.09	0.2	0.43	0.11	0.83
	Tamil Nadu	38.05	59.49	64.47	19.43	181.44
	Telangana	5.77	8.77	10.21	3.67	28.42
	The Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu	0.27	0.56	0.72	0.24	1.79
	Tripura	0.34	0.5	0.96	0.22	2.02
	Uttar Pradesh	43.3	70.22	86.59	27.64	227.75
	Uttarakhand	6.2	9.01	10.51	3.71	29.43
	West Bengal	15.63	19.42	24.76	8.5	68.31
	Total	327.17	500.15	567.27	178.87	1573.46

Note: DBT-based stipend support under NAPS-2 commenced from July 2023.

This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), Shri Jayant Chaudhary in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

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SH

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