Under the new accreditation and affiliation norms for ITIs, the approval timeline for new ITIs has been cut by 50%, while entry barriers such as minimum land requirements have been eased, a senior government official told ET.
The existing norms have been in place since 2018.
The new Affiliation Norms – 2025 provide a clear, structured and industry-aligned framework that improves ease of doing business, streamlines regulatory requirements, and brings procedural clarity while integrating industry participation, the official said. “The aim is to create a more efficient, transparent and responsive affiliation system for ITIs across the country.”
India currently has 15,034 ITIs, of which 3,298 are government-run and 11,736 are privately operated. However, according to officials, procedural delays, lack of clear guidelines for adding new courses, and limited scope for industry participation have held back outcomes, weakening the effectiveness of vocational training.
Under the new framework, the application process has been reduced to two stages from three, halving approval time to about 6.5 months from 13.5 months earlier. Document requirements have been trimmed by 20% to ease compliance, while a single-stage assessment process has been introduced to speed up approvals and reduce pendency.
The norms also standardise guidelines for modifications in existing ITIs, introduce uniform inspection reports, streamline joint inspections, and put in place a two-tier grievance and appeal mechanism to ensure quicker and fairer dispute resolution.