The National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS-2) continues India's apprenticeship training initiative launched in 2016, providing partial government stipend support to apprentices under the Apprentices Act, 1961. The scheme features direct benefit transfer (DBT) of stipend payments, industry-led training in actual work environments, technology-enabled implementation through apprenticeshipindia.gov.in portal, facilitation through Third-Party Aggregators for MSMEs, and regular Pradhan Mantri National Apprenticeship Melas (PMNAM) for awareness and engagement.
Scheme Performance and Financials
From FY 2018-19 to FY 2026-27 (up to 30th June 2026), the scheme has engaged 5,298,397 apprentices across India through 57,945 registered establishments, of which 38,936 are MSMEs. Stipend disbursement through DBT began in July 2023 and has totaled ₹1,573.46 crore across four financial years: ₹327.17 crore (2023-24), ₹500.15 crore (2024-25), ₹567.27 crore (2025-26), and ₹178.87 crore (2026-27 year-to-date).
State-wise Implementation
Maharashtra leads in both apprentice engagements (1,346,717) and stipend disbursement (₹361.24 crore), followed by Tamil Nadu (541,317 apprentices, ₹181.44 crore stipend) and Gujarat (565,729 apprentices, ₹80.49 crore stipend). Other top states include Uttar Pradesh (410,215 apprentices, ₹227.75 crore stipend), Haryana (399,524 apprentices, ₹31.79 crore stipend), and Karnataka (447,703 apprentices, ₹98.78 crore stipend).
Karnataka District Breakdown
Within Karnataka, Bengaluru Urban district dominates with 1,756 establishments engaging 216,391 apprentices, followed by Bengaluru Rural (609 establishments, 59,752 apprentices) and Ramanagara (109 establishments, 53,484 apprentices). Other significant districts include Belagavi (228 establishments, 10,731 apprentices), Dharwad (170 establishments, 10,669 apprentices), and Ballari (116 establishments, 9,298 apprentices).
Employment Outcomes and Events
A third-party evaluation by Arun Jaitley National Institute of Financial Management found 72% of apprentices received full-time employment offers after training completion, indicating significant improvement in income levels and employability. Since June 2022, 7,370 PMNAM events have been conducted nationwide, engaging 4,024,946 candidates. Maharashtra again leads with 1,059,317 engagements through 456 melas, followed by Gujarat (373,976 engagements, 1,149 melas) and Tamil Nadu (439,944 engagements, 459 melas).
Policy Integration and Sector Expansion
The scheme aligns with National Education Policy 2020 through the Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programme developed with UGC and AICTE, enabling students to integrate apprenticeship into degree/diploma curricula. The government is promoting apprenticeships in emerging sectors including Information Technology, biotechnology, renewable energy, electronics, semiconductors, drones, and logistics.