Spokesperson: Shri Kannan Gopinathan: Addressing a press conference, Shri Kannan Gopinathan referred to the CAG audit covering Short-Term Training (STT), Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Special Projects (SP), which found that bank account details for over 95 per cent of beneficiaries were invalid, blank or unavailable, severely undermining the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism meant to disburse Rs. 500 incentives to certified candidates.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India’s findings of widespread irregularities in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), including large-scale data manipulation, financial mismanagement, weak oversight mechanisms and violations of eligibility norms across PMKVY 2.0 and PMKVY 3.0 between 2015 and 2022, the Congress today demanded a time-bound probe into the matter.

Quoting the CAG report, he said that out of 95.90 lakh participants analysed, 90.66 lakh candidates (94.53 per cent) had blank or invalid bank account entries, like zeroes, null and Not Applicable. Among the remaining accounts, he added, 12,122 unique bank account numbers were reused for over 52,000 candidates, indicating duplication and possible fraud. Shri Kannan Gopinathan said the audit also flagged rampant irregularities in contact details, including fake email IDs, while mobile numbers were often invalid, or with less than 10 digits or repeated patterns.

The Congress leader said that trainer and assessor records were found to be poorly maintained and grossly incomplete. Over 61 lakh certified candidates were linked to records with null or zero trainer IDs, while thousands of batches recorded trainer names as “Null” or “Migrated Data”, raising serious concerns over the authenticity of training delivery.

Gopinathan said the audit also uncovered serious violations of age, education and work-experience eligibility norms. Over 52,000 underage candidates were certified as group farming practitioners, more than 40,000 underage candidates were certified as self-employed tailors, and over 1,100 underage candidates were trained and certified as drivers or chauffeurs despite statutory age and licence requirements.

Gopinathan also referred to poor state-wise utilisation in several cases. He said Bihar utilised only Rs 5.96 crore out of Rs 36.82 crore released, Odisha utilised Rs 7.39 crore out of Rs 27.71 crore and refunded Rs 20.33 crore along with Rs 6.39 crore in interest, while Maharashtra had nearly Rs 19 crore unspent. Monday January 12, 2026