In April 2026, Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), initiated a campaign to establish the Skills Outcomes Fund (SOF), a first-of-its-kind initiative in New Delhi, Delhi, to enhance employment opportunities for youth from low-income backgrounds across India.

• The initiative aims to launch the SOF to mobilize capital, link skilling to verified employment outcomes for youth, and scale as the world’s largest Outcomes-Based Financing (OBF) initiative.

Key Features of SOF:

Anchor: Led by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the MSDE as the nodal implementing agency.
Model: Uses blended finance by combining government, private, and philanthropic capital through an outcomes-based financing approach linking payments to verified employment results.
Focus: Targets demand-driven, employer-led skilling in high-growth sectors such as Information Technology – Information Technology Enabled Services (IT-ITeS), Banking Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), healthcare, logistics, green jobs, and electronics.