The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) announced the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) Antyodaya Diwas, on 25th September 2014. DDU-GKY is a part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), tasked with the dual objectives of adding diversity to the incomes of rural poor families and cater to the career aspirations of rural youth.
DDU-GKY is uniquely focused on rural youth between the ages of 15 and 35 years from poor families. As a part of the Skill India campaign, it plays an instrumental role in supporting the social and economic programs of the government like the Make in India, Digital India, Smart Cities and Start-Up India, Stand-Up India campaigns. Over 180 million or 69% of the country’s youth population between the ages of 18 and 34 years, live in rural areas. Of these, poor families with no or marginal employment number about 55 million. This presents an unprecedented opportunity for India to train its BoP youth population and place them in jobs across the world and realize its demographic dividend in order to fill up the skills gap. Its key components include a Multi Partner Approach, A Retention Strategy for Sustainability, Quality Assurance Framework and Employing Technology in Implementation.
Features of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana
Enable Poor and Marginalized to Access Benefits
Demand led skill training at no cost to the rural poor
Inclusive Program Design
Mandatory coverage of socially disadvantaged groups (SC/ST 50%; Minority 15%; Women 33%)
Shifting Emphasis from Training to Career Progression
Pioneers in providing incentives for job retention, career progression and foreign placements
Greater Support for Placed Candidates
Post-placement support, migration support and alumni network
Proactive Approach to Build Placement Partnerships
Guaranteed Placement for at least 75% trained candidates
Enhancing the Capacity of Implementation Partners
Nurturing new training service providers and developing their skills