At a time when India is grappling with an unemployment rate of nearly 15% among youth aged 15–29 (as of May 2025), the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) remains one of the government’s key interventions to address joblessness through skill training. However, a recent audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has flagged serious irregularities in the implementation of the flagship scheme.
PMKVY, launched in July 2015, has been implemented in three phases—Phase I (2015–16), Phase II (2016–20), and Phase III (2021–22). With an annual outlay of around ₹14,450 crore, the scheme aimed to train 1.32 crore candidates nationwide.
The CAG’s findings were presented in an audit report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
Bank Account Details Raise Serious Concerns
The audit revealed alarming discrepancies in bank account details of beneficiaries under PMKVY 2.0 and 3.0. Of the 95,90,801 participants, bank account information for 90,66,264 candidates (94.53%) was either recorded as zero, null, NA, or left blank.
These anomalies were identified on the Skill India Portal (SIP) during the audit of electronic identity and contact details. In several cases, account numbers such as “123456,” single-digit entries, text strings, names, addresses, or special characters were found instead of valid bank details.
The CAG noted that due to these inconsistencies, the authenticity of beneficiaries’ identities could not be established.
The Ministry, in its response in May 2023, stated that although SIP originally required mandatory bank details, this requirement was relaxed due to implementation challenges at the ground level. It also cited Aadhaar seeding as a mechanism to enable Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) into Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.
Multiple Errors in Payments and Monitoring
Further analysis of DBT payments made in 2023 revealed that due to insufficient or incorrect information, payments to over 34 lakh certified candidates were still pending.
An online beneficiary survey conducted during the audit showed a high email delivery failure rate of 36.51% (1,581 failed emails). Only 171 responses were received, of which 131 came from the same email IDs or from training partners and centres, raising concerns about the credibility of feedback mechanisms.
The audit also found that several training centres had already shut down, while photographic irregularities were detected—identical photographs were used for multiple beneficiaries across different states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
Structural Weaknesses Highlighted
The CAG concluded that PMKVY lacked a structured system for identifying beneficiaries. There was no data retention policy for storing electronic identities and contact details of trainers, assessors, or beneficiaries, resulting in weak IT controls and poor accountability.
The findings raise serious questions about governance, transparency, and the effectiveness of one of India’s most important skill development initiatives at a time when youth employment remains a critical challenge.