The Centre has introduced measures to strengthen the Deendayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), a flagship rural skilling programme, by tightening placement norms, expanding livelihood opportunities and improving monitoring of beneficiaries.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said 18.45 lakh rural youths have been trained under the scheme since its launch in 2014-15. Of these, 11.44 lakh have been certified and 12.35 lakh have secured employment.
The Minister said the scheme now requires Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) to ensure at least six months of employment for 70 per cent of trained and certified candidates before receiving reimbursement. Earlier, a minimum of three months’ employment was mandatory. The government has also introduced tracking of beneficiaries for up to 12 months to ensure job continuity.
In addition, the scope of the program has been expanded to include self-employment and opportunities in the emerging gig economy, while a batch-mode payment system has been introduced to improve accountability and speed up fund disbursement.
According to the Minister, a 2025 impact evaluation found that beneficiaries registered an average income growth of 30.79 per cent over three years, with average monthly earnings of Rs 16,500.
The scheme continues to emphasise social inclusion, mandating that 50 per cent of beneficiaries belong to Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe communities, 33 per cent be women and 3 per cent persons with disabilities.
In Nagaland, the latest figures available from the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) show that, as of November 2023, more than 6,700 rural youths had been trained under DDU-GKY, with 4,050 securing placements across the country.
Speaking at a combined graduation program for DDU-GKY trainees in November 2023, Joint Secretary for Rural Development and Mission Director of NSRLM, Imtimenla, had said 12 trainees who were initially placed within India later secured employment in countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
She had also said the placed youths were estimated to remit around Rs 3.6 crore every month, with an average monthly salary of Rs 13,500. Around 10 to 15 per cent of these remittances were supporting rural households in the state. The NSRLM had further indicated that future versions of DDU-GKY would focus on designing skill courses that facilitate overseas employment opportunities for Naga youth.
DDU-GKY, implemented under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission, aims to provide placement-linked skill training to rural youth to improve employability and promote sustainable livelihoods.
