National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme NAPS
When a business takes on apprentices through the apprenticeship portal, the government pays a quarter of each apprentice's stipend, up to ₹1,500 a month, straight to the apprentice.
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- Cost to apply
- Free
- Status
- Open
- Run by
- Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship
What you get
- Government share of 25% of the minimum prescribed stipend, up to ₹1,500 per apprentice per month, during training
- Paid directly into the apprentice's bank account by DBT since 2023, so the employer pays only its own share
- Available to establishments of every kind, including MSMEs
- A way to train young staff on the job at lower cost
Who can apply
- Businesses that are already running.
- Establishments with 4 or more workers can take apprentices. Those with 30 or more must.
- Establishments with 3 or fewer workers cannot take apprentices
- Over a year, apprentices should be 2.5% to 15% of total staff, counting contract staff
- The establishment and each apprenticeship contract must be registered on the apprenticeship portal
How to apply
- Register the establishment on the apprenticeship portal
- Post apprenticeship openings and pick candidates
- Register the apprenticeship contract on the portal
- Pay your share of the stipend. The government share goes to the apprentice by DBT.
Worth knowing
Running in its second phase, NAPS-2, since 2022-23. The Cabinet approved its continuation within the restructured Skill India Programme in February 2025, and PIB reported apprentices engaged in 2026-27 up to 30 June 2026.
Where we found this
- PIB, progress of NAPS, March 2026 (external site) Official announcement
- PIB, apprenticeship engagement and establishment thresholds, data to 30 June 2026 (external site) Official announcement
- PIB, Cabinet approves continuation and restructuring of Skill India Programme, February 2025 (external site) Official announcement
- DGT FAQs on the Apprentices Act and Rules (external site) Official
An independent guide by The Company of Four, not a government website. Schemes change often, so check every detail on the official website before you apply. Links marked ↗ open external websites that we do not run, and we are not responsible for their content. Seen something out of date? Tell us and we will look into it.