23 March 2026·PIB

NATIONAL APPRENTICESHIP AND TRAINING SCHEMES

In this note

1. At a Glance

Two flagship Central Sector apprenticeship schemes operating under the Apprentices Act, 1961: NAPS (MSDE) and NATS (Ministry of Education) [1].
Core instrument for on-the-job, industry-led skilling of Indian youth; deliver partial stipend support via DBT to apprentices [1][2].
Examinable for GS-II (government schemes) and GS-III (employment, skill development, human-resource economy).

PIB release (23 March 2026) by MSDE reported that during 2025, apprentices engaged were 11.84 lakh under NAPS and 5.23 lakh under NATS [1].
Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC) recommended a 36% hike in apprentice stipend with future revisions linked to CPI [2].
NATS 2.0 portal launched and ₹100 crore stipend disbursed via DBT to graduates/diploma holders [2].

1961: Parliament enacted the Apprentices Act, 1961 — statutory parent for apprentice engagement [1].
1973: NATS launched by Ministry of Education to engage graduate/diploma/10+2 vocational apprentices [1].
August 2016: NAPS launched by MSDE to incentivise employers to engage trade apprentices [1].
2022-23: NAPS continued as NAPS-2 [1].
July 2023: DBT mode of stipend payment launched under NAPS [2].
2025-26: NATS approved for continuation up to FY 2025-26 [1].

Enabling Act: Apprentices Act, 1961 [1].
NAPS: Implementing ministry — MSDE; launched Aug 2016; current avatar NAPS-2 (2022-23 onward) [1].
NATS: Implementing ministry — Ministry of Education; launched 1973; covers graduate/diploma engineers and 10+2 vocational pass-outs [1].
Stipend share — NAPS: Government reimburses 25% of prescribed minimum stipend, capped at ₹1,500/month per apprentice [2].
Stipend share — NATS: Government share 50% of prescribed minimum stipend, capped at ₹4,500/month per apprentice [2].
Disbursement mode: DBT to apprentice's bank account (effective July 2023) [2].
Apex advisory body: Central Apprenticeship Council (CAC) — statutory body under the Act [2].
2025 engagement: NAPS 11.84 lakh, NATS 5.23 lakh [1].

Economic — Bridges the skill-jobs gap; subsidises industry training cost; channels labour into formal MSME and manufacturing pipelines [1][2].
Social — Tilts toward youth employability; MSMEs covered under NAPS widen reach to small towns [2].
Legal/Constitutional — Rooted in the Apprentices Act, 1961; statutory backing distinguishes it from purely scheme-based skilling such as PMKVY [1].
Administrative / Federalism — Central Sector schemes but state implementation through State Apprenticeship Advisers; participation uneven across States as flagged in the PIB note [1].
Governance / Ethics — Shift to DBT plugs leakage and middlemen; CPI-linked stipend revision institutionalises real-wage protection [2].

23 Mar 2026 PIB statement: NAPS 11.84 lakh + NATS 5.23 lakh apprentices in 2025 [1].
CAC recommended 36% stipend hike + CPI indexation [2].
NATS 2.0 portal operationalised; ₹100 crore released via DBT [2].
NATS continuation approved up to 2025-26 [1].

Apprentices Act enacted in 1961 [1].
NATS launched in 1973 by Ministry of Education (not MSDE) [1].
NAPS launched in August 2016 by MSDE [1].
NAPS-2 runs from FY 2022-23 [1].
NAPS govt stipend share = 25%, cap ₹1,500/month [2].
NATS govt stipend share = 50%, cap ₹4,500/month [2].
DBT for NAPS stipend launched in July 2023 [2].
CAC recommended 36% stipend hike, indexed to CPI [2].
NATS 2.0 portal launched with ₹100 crore DBT disbursement [2].
Both are Central Sector schemes (100% central funding), not CSS [1].
2025 apprentices: NAPS 11.84 lakh, NATS 5.23 lakh [1].
NATS covers graduate, technician (diploma) and technician (vocational) apprentices [1].

GS-II — Government policies/interventions for vulnerable sections; welfare schemes.
GS-III — Indian economy: employment, human resource, inclusive growth, skill development.
Probable stems:
"Statutory apprenticeship can do for India what dual-VET did for Germany. Critically examine in light of NAPS-2 and NATS."
"Discuss how DBT-isation and CPI-linked stipends are reshaping incentive architecture of India's apprenticeship ecosystem."
"Despite a 1961 statutory base, India's apprentice density remains low. Analyse the structural and federal bottlenecks."

Apprentices Act, 1961 & 2014 amendment — statutory backbone.
PMKVY 4.0 — sister flagship under MSDE; contrast with apprenticeship.
Skill India Mission / NSDC — institutional architecture.
National Education Policy 2020 — vocational integration into mainstream education.
Code on Wages, 2019 & Labour Codes — wage/stipend interface.
PLFS data — youth unemployment benchmarking.
Sankalp & STRIVE (World Bank-aided) — complementary skilling programmes.
ILO "Global Employment Trends for Youth" — international benchmarking.

Confusing NATS (Ministry of Education) with NAPS (MSDE) — different ministries, different launch years.
Treating them as Centrally Sponsored; they are Central Sector schemes.
Mixing stipend caps: NAPS ₹1,500 / NATS ₹4,500 (not the same).
Believing apprenticeships are voluntary — engagement is statutorily mandated under the Apprentices Act, 1961.
Confusing NAPS with PMKVY — PMKVY is short-term classroom skilling; NAPS is on-the-job apprenticeship.