Jammu and Kashmir has a wide network of skill development infrastructure, including 543 functional training centres under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), 56 Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and 632 establishments under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, according to data tabled in the Lok Sabha. However, the Centre has not disclosed how many rural youth from the Union Territory are actually being trained, placed or employed through these facilities.

The figures were shared by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in response to a question on skilling initiatives for rural youth. While the government said the Skill India Mission caters to all sections of society, including rural populations, the reply did not provide Jammu and Kashmir–specific data on beneficiaries over the past three years, making it difficult to assess the real impact of the skilling push in the region.
As per the ministry’s statement, Jammu and Kashmir currently has 543 PMKVY centres, two Jan Sikshan Sansthan centres, 632 functional apprenticeship establishments and 56 functional ITIs under the Craftsman Training Scheme. In comparison, Andhra Pradesh has 370 PMKVY centres and 521 ITIs, while Uttar Pradesh leads the country with 2,581 PMKVY centres and about 3,300 ITIs.
Despite this relatively dense skilling network, the Centre acknowledged that training centres are not designed exclusively for rural youth. Instead, centres are set up on a demand-driven basis under schemes such as PMKVY, Jan Sikshan Sansthan, apprenticeship programmes and ITIs, without rural-specific targeting in terms of centre location, design or outcome reporting.
The ministry also confirmed that there has been no separate announcement for setting up skilling centres exclusively for rural areas. Expansion of training infrastructure, it said, is guided by assessed demand and industry requirements rather than geographical factors or rural deprivation indicators.
This approach has raised concerns in a Union Territory where rural unemployment and underemployment remain persistent, particularly among young people with limited access to higher education, industry exposure and formal employment opportunities. The absence of disaggregated data on rural beneficiaries, analysts say, underscores the need for more targeted monitoring and outcome-based evaluation of skilling initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir.