Yogi government’s focus: Skills alongside education, a new path to self-reliance for daughters

Girl students to be trained in modern sectors such as healthcare, IT, apparel, green jobs and artificial intelligence

Empowering daughters with skills alongside education and making them self-reliant and economically empowered is a priority of the Yogi government

Mission Director issues instructions for time-bound preparations, with special monitoring of training quality

Lucknow, October 16, 2026

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh government is continuously working to connect daughters with skills, self-reliance and employment opportunities alongside education. In this regard, a special training programme will be conducted during the academic session 2026-27 under ‘Project Praveen’ to equip girl students studying in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas across the state with modern and employment-oriented skills. The Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission has set a target of training 2,672 girl students from 71 Kasturba schools across the state. Training classes will commence on November 2.

The objective of this initiative of the Yogi government is to provide girl students with practical skills alongside conventional school education so that, in the future, they can pursue self-employment and entrepreneurship in addition to securing jobs. In particular, new opportunities for self-reliance will be created for girls from rural and disadvantaged sections by providing training in modern technology and in line with industry requirements.

Kapil Dev Agarwal, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Vocational Education, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said, “Under the guidance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the state government is committed to making daughters empowered, self-reliant and economically independent. The government’s endeavour is to ensure that daughters receive practical skills alongside education that prepare them for future challenges and help provide better employment opportunities.”

He said that coordination between Mission Shakti and the Skill Development Mission is giving a new direction to the empowerment of women and girls. Project Praveen is part of this vision, through which girl students will be equipped with skills from an early age, strengthening their self-confidence and future prospects.

Under Project Praveen, girl students will receive training in employment-oriented sectors such as healthcare, IT-ITES, apparel, media and entertainment, and green jobs. In addition, artificial intelligence (AI), computer technology and soft skills have also been made important components of the training.

This will provide girl students with an opportunity to develop technical proficiency, personality development, communication skills and the capabilities required to perform better in the workplace.

The maximum duration of training has been fixed at 300 hours. Studying an AI course available on the Mission Portal or ‘YUVA AI for ALL’ will be mandatory alongside the relevant courses. Textbooks and learning materials will be provided to the girl students within seven working days of the commencement of training.
Uploading proof of their distribution on the Mission Portal will also be mandatory.

Pulkit Khare, Director of the Uttar Pradesh Skill Development Mission, has instructed the concerned training providers and District Programme Management Units (DPMUs) to complete all preparations within the stipulated timeframe. The process of approving training centres, registering girl students and forming batches is to be completed promptly, and classes must commence by November 2, 2026, under all circumstances. After applications for approval of centres and batches are received on the Mission Portal, officials will be required to take a decision within 2 working days.

Training will be imparted on the basis of the curriculum prescribed by the relevant Sector Skill Council, in accordance with NCVT and NSQF standards. Following the training, the girl students will also be assessed through the respective council to ensure an evaluation of training quality and the students’ proficiency.

To ensure the effective implementation of the training programme, the District Programme Management Units will conduct on-site inspections of training centres and available equipment every 15 days. The Mission Director has made it clear that strict punitive action will be taken against institutions that fail to commence training on schedule or show negligence in adhering to quality standards.

Under Project Praveen, schools in various districts have been included, including Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Budaun, Bulandshahr, Chandauli, Etah, Farrukhabad, Fatehpur, Ghaziabad, Ghazipur, Gonda, Hardoi, Jaunpur, Jhansi, Kannauj, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lalitpur, Mainpuri, Mathura, Meerut, Mirzapur, Moradabad, Prayagraj, Sambhal, Shahjahanpur, Sitapur, Sonbhadra, Unnao and Varanasi.