Context
Recently, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament pulled up the government for the slow pace of implementation of the SANKALP scheme. While the government emphasized its commitment to the “Sankalp” (sacred duty) of empowering the underprivileged during the Budget 2026–27 session, the PAC flagged significant gaps in utilizing the World Bank-assisted funds and achieving targets for decentralizing the skilling ecosystem at the district level.
1. Overview of SANKALP
- Full Form: Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
- Type of Scheme: It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
- Launch Date: January 19, 2018 (with implementation periods recently extended to meet outcome-based targets).
- Objective: To strengthen institutional mechanisms at the National, State, and District levels and to increase access to quality, market-relevant training for the workforce.
2. Funding and Implementation
- World Bank Assistance: The scheme is supported by a loan from the World Bank (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development).
- Instrument: It uses the “Program for Results” (PforR) instrument, meaning funds are disbursed by the World Bank only upon the achievement of pre-agreed Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs).
- Verification: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore acts as the Independent Verification Agency (IVA) to verify the achievements before fund release.
3. Key Result Areas (KRAs)
The scheme focuses on four core result areas to transform the skilling landscape:
- Institutional Strengthening: Building the capacity of State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs) and District Skill Committees (DSCs).
- Quality Assurance: Improving the quality of skill development programs through better trainers, standardized assessments, and certification.
- Inclusion: Ensuring access to skilling for marginalized populations, including women, Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD).
- Expanding Skills through PPPs: Engaging the private sector through Public-Private Partnerships to make skilling demand-driven.
4. SANKALP vs. STRIVE
- SANKALP: Focuses on the institutional and governance aspect of skilling (short-term training, district planning, and policy convergence).
- STRIVE: (Skills Strengthening for Industrial Value Enhancement) Focuses on improving the relevance and efficiency of ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) and apprenticeship programs.
5. Key Initiatives under SANKALP
- Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship (MGNF): A two-year academic program that combines classroom sessions at IIMs with intensive field immersion at the district level to help District Skill Committees (DSCs) in preparing District Skill Development Plans (DSDPs).
- Skill India Portal: A digital platform to aggregate and converge skill-related data across various central and state ministries.
- Awards for Excellence in District Skill Development Planning: An initiative to incentivize districts to prepare high-quality, data-driven skilling plans.
Q. With reference to the SANKALP scheme, consider the following statements:
1. It is a Central Sector Scheme implemented under the Ministry of Education.
2. It is supported by loan assistance from the World Bank using a "Program for Results" instrument.
3. One of its primary objectives is the decentralization of skill planning through District Skill Committees (DSCs).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2, and 3
Solution: (b)
• STATEMENT 1 INCORRECT: SANKALP is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (not Central Sector) and it is implemented by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), not the Ministry of Education.
• STATEMENT 2 CORRECT: SANKALP is indeed a World Bank-assisted project that uses the "Program for Results" (PforR) model, where funding is linked to the achievement of specific results (DLIs).
• STATEMENT 3 CORRECT: A core feature of SANKALP is institutional strengthening at the district level, empowering District Skill Committees (DSCs) to create localized District Skill Development Plans (DSDPs).
