Absentee students, fake documentation, non-existent centres – these are among the glaring irregularities found in the execution ofPradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the flagship training programme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).The scheme was launched in 2015 and under it, until June 2025, over 1.64 crore youth have received training and Rs 1,538 crore was allocated for the year 2024-25.Following the upgraded version of the scheme (PMKVY 4.0) commencing in 2022, there have been complaints of inflated bills; absentee students; fake documentation and non-existent Training Partners (TPs) and Training Centres (TCs). Training centres are where training is imparted, training partners are organisations or individulas who run these centres.On October 30, the Ministry wrote to all state Principal Secretaries and Directors of state missions and Regional Directorates informing them about action taken against those “non adhering with the schemes norms.”Read | After pile of complaints, national skill corporation CEO removedThe Ministry’s communication states that after “continuously monitoring implementation” and on the basis of examining inspection reports, 178 TPs and TCs have been blacklisted by the Ministry and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) which implements the scheme.Significantly, the Ministry has revealed that recovery of payments given to the TPs and TCs has begun and “legal action” has been initiated “against those who are in high level of penalty.”Story continues below this adAs The Indian Express has reported on September 22, 2025, several FIRs had been lodged against the defaulting TPs. Among the allegations against them was tampering with attendance records to include students who were missing from training centres.In its detailed letter on the blacklisting of TPs and TCs, the Ministry has given this instruction to all State and mission heads overseeing PMKVY: “Considering the discrepancies observed in the centres, it is requested to ensure that appropriate action may be taken while examining or considering any proposals submitted under any Government skilling scheme.”In the black list of TPs and TCs, Uttar Pradesh has the largest number (59); followed by Delhi (25); Madhya Pradesh (24) and Rajasthan (20). There are several states like Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Telangana and Tamil Nadu which have had one TP and TC blacklisted by the Ministry.In 122 of the 178 cases, the identity of the TP was different from that of the TC; in 56 cases, the identity of the TP and TC is similar.Story continues below this adDespite several messages, the spokesperson of NSDC did not reply to questions sent by The Indian Express on the blacklisting process and amounts of recovery of funds.Incidentally, citing “confidentiality” and “ongoing investigations,” the NSDC had denied any information on defaulting training centers in response to an application filed by The Indian Express under Right To Information (RTI) Act.In July 2025, the Government had put out a press release on allocations (Rs 1,538 for 2024-25) for PMKVY 4.0 which stated how, “training is being imparted in accredited and affiliated Training Centres (TCs), monitoring of TCs through physical and virtual mode. Legal action such as filing FIR, blacklisting, suspension, financial recovery etc. are taken against non-compliant TCs.”The Indian Express reached out to several directors of the Regional Directorate of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (RDSDE) in the 18 states where the blacklisting has taken place.Story continues below this adMany said they had received the blacklist for the first time and confirmed that all training activity had been frozen in the defaulting TCs.A director gave details of how FIRs had been lodged against half the partners/centers and following monitoring being done by the local NSDC unit, “backend” blacklisting had been done.Said one director: “Almost the entire PMKVY training has come to a standstill in our district. And we don’t have details of the inspections and way forward because NSDC is handling that.”The blacklisting of a large batch of its TPs and TCs under the PMKVY scheme is only the latest controversy that has dogged the NSDC.Story continues below this adIn May this year, a “public notice” was issued by the NSDC announcing the ouster of its CEO Ved Mani Tewari.In August this year, the MSDE Ministry lodged a police complaint against two officials it had handpicked to pull the corporation out of crisis after Tewari’s departure. “They might run away with Government money/property of NSDC…” the complaint had alleged.