House panel pulls up government over PMKVY mismatch between training and demand

📌 Summary:

• Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, pulled up the government over its flagship skilling scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY)
• Citing the CAG audit report, the panel said the scheme disproportionately focused on skilling for low-demand jobs such as retail — a training-versus-demand mismatch
• PMKVY, the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), was launched in July 2015 to provide industry-relevant skill training
• Across three phases (2015–2022), outlay was ~₹14,450 crore; ₹10,194 crore was released and ₹9,261 crore utilised
• Against a target of 1.32 crore candidates, 1.10 crore were certified

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 governance — scheme implementation gaps, skilling versus employability, and PAC/CAG oversight of public expenditure.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• PMKVY launched July 2015 under MSDE
• Three phases 2015–2022; outlay ~₹14,450 crore; 1.10 crore of 1.32 crore target certified
• PAC chair: K.C. Venugopal; audit by the CAG

🔑 Key Term: Public Accounts Committee — the parliamentary committee that examines CAG audit reports on government expenditure.