Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The objective of this Skill Certification Scheme is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood. Individuals with prior learning experience or skills will also be assessed and certified under Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

It is a unique initiative by the Government of India that aims to offer the youth – meaningful, industry relevant, skill based training. In addition to government certification, the trainees will also be offered a financial reward on successful completion of training and assessment which will help them in securing a job for a better future. Key Components of the scheme include Short Term Training, Recognition of Prior Learning, Special Projects, Kaushal and Rozgar Mela, Placement Assistance, Continuous Monitoring and Standardised Branding.

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.