Maharashtra clears 100 skill training centres, 12 begin work; Lodha says no fees will be charged

The state's Skill Development Department has launched the "Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Kaushalya Prashikshan Kendra" scheme to make the state's youth employable. The scheme was inaugurated online on Thursday at the Daksh Hall in the Elphinstone Technical High School campus near Metro Chowk. Cabinet Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha launched it.

Under the scheme, skill training centres can be opened in a space of just 300 sq ft. In the first phase, 100 centres across the state have been approved on a pilot basis, of which 12 have been inaugurated. The government wants skill training to reach every village and every settlement.

Lodha said the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Kaushalya Prashikshan Kendra is the first initiative of its kind in the country. The government has taken this key decision to offer training to needy young men and women in slums, remote and hilly areas, Naxal-affected regions and tribal areas. Space norms for opening centres under the Pramod Mahajan Kaushalya Vikas va Udyojakta Abhiyan (PMKUVA) have been relaxed. A centre can now start in a space of 300 to 1,500 sq ft at the minimum.

The 12 centres have opened in the districts of Nagpur, Dahanu-Palghar, Nandurbar, Yavatmal, Pune, Mumbai, Sindhudurg and Jalgaon. The information Lodha shared on social media also names Ambegaon and Deogad.

The year 2026 marks the bicentenary of Krantisurya Mahatma Jyotiba Phule's birth. On this occasion, the government decided that all skill development centres created under this campaign will be named after Mahatma Jyotiba Phule. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced the initiative in Phule's village on his bicentenary. According to Lodha, the main aim of the decision, in keeping with Phule's ideas on vocational education, is to give young people training that meets today's market needs, help them find jobs and make them economically self-reliant.

Lodha said training centres earlier needed large premises. Now a centre can open in 300 sq ft, so local organisations, educational institutions and voluntary organisations will get a chance to take part. Training can be expanded by making good use of existing local facilities. Priority will go to slums, rehabilitation areas, remote and hilly parts, Naxal-affected and tribal areas, and rural youth.

The centres will run job-oriented courses according to the needs of industry. The emphasis will be on linking training, skill certificates and employment, so that young people get opportunities for jobs and self-employment. Lodha said clearly that no fee will be charged from candidates undergoing training.

Those present at the event included Dr Amit Saini, Commissioner of the Department of Skill Development, Employment and Entrepreneurship; Dr Apurva Palkar, Vice-Chancellor of the Ratan Tata Maharashtra State Skills University; Dr Shrikant Patil, Chief Executive Officer of the Maharashtra State Innovation Society; and Satish Suryavanshi, Director of the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training.

The government says the centres will be set up with the participation of well-known social, educational and voluntary organisations. The aim is to narrow the gap in training facilities between villages and cities and to help local youth find work in their own areas.