India’s Green Jobs: 1.3 Crore Potential Jobs by 2035 and PM-SETU Skilling

The news

An iFOREST assessment has estimated that India’s green sectors could support over 1.3 crore jobs by 2035, as the country aims for Viksit Bharat by 2047 and a net-zero economy by 2070. The assessment, titled India’s Green Jobs Moment, identifies renewable energy, storage, electric vehicles, green hydrogen, recycling and nature-based solutions as the key sectors. The World Bank has described India’s poverty decline as among the fastest in the world, with 496 million people moving out of poverty between 2011 and 2023, and the share of those in extreme poverty falling from 27.1 per cent to 2.6 per cent.

The iFOREST assessment projects that direct employment in key green sectors could grow by about 4.5 lakh jobs a year, while dedicated green programmes have so far trained around 81,000 people. The report notes that about 71 per cent of thermal power roles show high or medium transferability to renewables and green hydrogen, and 90 per cent of automobile roles can move into electric vehicles with targeted training. However, only 5.3 per cent of young people have technical education and 5 per cent have formal vocational training. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is revising the National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, and the ₹60,000 crore PM-SETU scheme is modernising 1,000 government Industrial Training Institutes.

What is the current state of India’s workforce and skills?

More than 27 per cent of Indians are aged 15–29, and in 2025, 17.3 per cent of young people held a graduate degree, with young women (17.9 per cent) ahead of young men (16.7 per cent). India has over 15,000 Industrial Training Institutes with more than 26 lakh seats, but about 43 per cent of formally trained workers have completed courses of less than six months. The worker population ratio is just 1.9 percentage points below the labour force participation rate, indicating a sturdy labour market.

What has the green skilling effort achieved and what remains to be done?

Dedicated green programmes have trained around 81,000 people so far, against a projected annual demand of about 4.5 lakh direct green jobs. The iFOREST assessment says that even modest expansion of training would multiply this output many times over. The report calls for stronger delivery through green laboratories, trained instructors, longer-term programmes alongside short courses, apprenticeships, and tracking of placement and career progression. The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is revising the National Policy for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, which can set the base for skilling India’s workforce for the green economy.