The Skill India initiative, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 15, 2015, aimed to skill millions of unemployed youth in India and connect them with job opportunities. The ambition was to provide skill training to one crore (10 million) young people by 2020. However, as the program reaches over ten years of its operation, concerns have been raised about its effectiveness and the on-ground realities. A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has highlighted serious irregularities that question the success of the initiative.

In a nationwide investigation titled 'Operation Rozgar', the Aaj Tak team set out to assess the status of Skill India centers across the country. Their investigation began in Delhi, where they attempted to visit a supposed Prime Minister's Skill Development Center in Alipur. Upon arrival, the team found the center locked and inoperative for several years, sparking further inquiries into the status of multiple centers and the program's implementation.

These findings indicate a significant disconnect between the intended objectives of the Skill India program and its actual execution on the ground. As the CAG report suggests, numerous centers are either non-existent or have not been functioning, raising concerns about the investment of public resources and the overall accountability of the government in delivering on its promises for youth employment and skill development in India.