Minister says government jobs are saturated, urges trainees to explore private and self-employment opportunities
Minister for Rural Development and SIRD, Metsübo Jamir, has urged young people undergoing skill training under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) to look beyond securing employment for themselves and work towards creating job opportunities for others in Nagaland.
Addressing a combined induction programme for DDU-GKY trainees from Nagaland at Noune Resort, Seithekema-A Village, Chumoukedima, on Friday, Jamir said the state had the potential to emerge as a powerhouse of skills and employment, with numerous opportunities available to its youth. He said the government was working through DDU-GKY, a Ministry of Rural Development initiative, to bring future employment opportunities closer to young people.
The programme was organised in association with the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM) under the theme “One Platform, New Skills, Countless Opportunities”.
Encouraging the trainees not to be discouraged by the challenges they face, Jamir urged them to work harder to keep pace with their counterparts in mainland India. He said the disadvantages faced by young people from Nagaland should not hold them back but instead motivate them to work towards building better futures.
He asked the trainees to learn with sincerity, respect their work and recognise that no work is small. He also encouraged them to return to their villages after gaining experience and inspire others.
Jamir assured that the government would make every effort to support them in finding employment, particularly those who take the initiative to generate employment opportunities on their own.
Over 6,000 placed under DDU-GKY 1.0
Delivering the welcome and keynote address, Joint Secretary of Rural Development and Mission Director of NSRLM, Moa Sangtam, said the mission had been implementing DDU-GKY for the past eight years alongside its work to promote self-help groups (SHGs) and improve their livelihoods. The programme aims to create employment opportunities for family members, particularly youth from SHG households.
Under DDU-GKY 1.0, NSRLM has trained 8,837 candidates since the 2018-19 financial year, all through residential training. Of these, 6,129 have secured job placements across the country, including international placements.
With the introduction of DDU-GKY 2.0 in the 2025-26 financial year, 481 candidates have been trained so far and are currently undergoing the placement process.
Sangtam informed that 800 candidates were presently undergoing training at 17 centres. All the centres are located in Dimapur, except one in Guwahati operated by Jetwings Foundation for the cabin crew trade.
Training target set at 7,625 candidates
The training target for the 2025-2028 period has been set at 7,625 candidates, of whom 1,423 are to be allocated to captive employers. Apart from the captive employer target, the State Mission has distributed its entire training target among 19 Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) operating across different sectors.
Sangtam cautioned that government employment had reached a point of saturation and advised young people against depending exclusively on public-sector jobs. Keeping private-sector employment and self-employment options open, he said, would strengthen individual livelihoods as well as Nagaland’s wider economy. (With DIPR inputs)
