The NITI Aayog report Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047 said India’s skilling ecosystem needs major reforms despite training over 7.67 crore people since 2014-15. Maharashtra’s Mahaswayam platform was cited as an existing initiative, but the report urged states to focus on job placement, wage growth and industry-linked training instead of enrolment and certificates.

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s existing skilling ecosystem, including the state’s Mahaswayam platform, could face a significant shift in focus following a new NITI Aayog report that calls for moving away from enrolment and certificate-based training towards programmes tied directly to employment, wages and career progression.

The report, Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047, released in August 2026, says India has trained more than 7.67 crore people since 2014-15, while the Union Budget for 2025-26 allocated ₹34,000 crore towards skilling-related expenditure across Central ministries. Yet, NITI Aayog says outcomes remain uneven and the country's skilling architecture needs a fundamental overhaul.

The report places Maharashtra among states that have already developed significant skilling initiatives, specifically citing Mahaswayam alongside Tamil Nadu’s Naan Mudhalvan and Odisha’s Skilled in Odisha. It says states will be the primary drivers of the proposed transformation, adapting the national framework to local labour markets, infrastructure and learner needs.

65.4 crore in labour force, but 27 crore workers without social security