On 24 June 2025, Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD) and Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has launched the joint pilot initiative ‘Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls (NAVYA)’ in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh (UP).
- The programme was jointly launched by the Union Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge, IC) Jayant Chaudhary, MSDE, and MoS Savitri Thakur, MWCD.
- This initiative marks a key milestone in advancing the broader women-led development goals under the Viksit Bharat@2047 mission.
About NAVYA Programme:
i.NAVYA is a pilot initiative aimed at equipping adolescent girls aged 16-18 years with a minimum qualification of Class 10, with vocational training mainly in non-traditional job roles.
ii.The pilot initiative will be implemented in 27 districts across India, which includes Aspirational districts and districts of North-eastern States, spanning across 19 states.
- Each participating district has designated training centres offering job-role-specific vocational courses.
iii.Girls, identified by MoWCD, will be trained through short-term skill development courses under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and and Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana (PMVY), with the potential to eventually establish small businesses of their own.
iv.Under the NAVYA programme, adolescent girls will be trained in skills such as graphic design, telecom and financial services, smartphone and drone assembly, Solar PhotoVoltaic(PV) and Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) installation, and hand embroidery, which will empower them for emerging opportunities.
About Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY):
i.PMKVY was launched in July 2015, to train and certify youth in industry-specific skills.
ii.It is a flagship skill development scheme, launched under the MSDE and implemented by the New Delhi (Delhi) based National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
iii.It is currently in its 4th phase (PMKVY 4.0), which will be implemented from 2023 to 2026, with a total financial outlay of Rs 12,000 crore.
About Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana (PMVY):
i.The PMVY is a central sector scheme launched in September 2023 to support and empower traditional artisans and craftspeople, also referred to as Vishwakarmas.
ii.It is implemented by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
iii.It is a five-year scheme, set to be implemented from 2023 to 2028, with a total financial outlay of Rs 13,000 crore.
About Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE):
Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge, IC) – Jayant Chaudhary (Rajya Sabha – Uttar Pradesh, UP)
About Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD):
Union Minister – Annpurna Devi (Constituency – Koderma, Jharkhand)
Minister of State (MoS) – Savitri Thankur (Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, MP)
