The Ministry of Rural Development is preparing to launch the first major round of training under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) 2.0, with more than 34,000 rural youth scheduled to begin skill training in October 2026.
The training batches will be launched across 14 States and Union Territories as part of the first phase of implementation. The Ministry recently reviewed the preparedness of these States and UTs to ensure that training centres, implementing agencies and digital systems are ready before the batches begin.
A total of 1,164 training batches involving 34,920 rural youth have been scheduled to commence during October.
The October launch is part of a much larger skilling programme. A sanctioned target of 3,57,112 rural youth has been set for training across these 14 States and UTs by December 31, 2027.
14 states and UTs reviewed for first phase
The Ministry reviewed preparedness with Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Karnataka, Telangana and Bihar.
The review covered preparations for the mobilisation of eligible rural youth, allocation of training targets, involvement of Project Implementing Agencies and the start of training batches.
The Ministry has asked States and UTs to ensure that the implementation process moves according to the prescribed timelines so that training can begin without delays.
The October rollout is expected to mark the beginning of wider implementation of DDU-GKY 2.0, with other participating States and UTs also expected to begin mobilisation and training activities during the same period.
More than 5.6 lakh targets already allocated across 24 states and UTs
The scale of the programme extends beyond the first 14 States and UTs.
According to the DDU-GKY 2.0 portal, targets covering 5.6 lakh rural youth across more than 1,200 projects have already been allocated by 24 States and Union Territories.
The remaining States and UTs are at different stages of allocating their training targets.
The Ministry has said that targets have been allocated to all 31 participating States and UTs for the two-year implementation period covering 2026 to 2028.
States and UTs have been directed to speed up the allocation of targets to Project Implementing Agencies and start training batches within the prescribed schedule.
States asked to complete target allocation by October 31
The Centre has set a specific deadline for States and UTs to complete the allocation process.
According to the Ministry, States and UTs have been advised to complete the allocation of targets to Project Implementing Agencies by October 31, 2026.
The implementing agencies will then be responsible for mobilising eligible rural youth and undertaking the training programmes according to the approved targets and timelines.
Information received by the Ministry indicates that more than five lakh targets have already been allocated to Project Implementing Agencies for the mobilisation of eligible candidates.
The government expects most participating States and UTs to begin the mobilisation process and start training during October.
What is DDU-GKY?
The Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, or DDU-GKY, is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at providing skill training to poor rural youth.
Unlike programmes that focus only on imparting vocational skills, DDU-GKY places emphasis on placement-linked training. The objective is to equip eligible rural youth with skills that can improve their access to employment opportunities.
The duration of training varies according to the course and can range from three months to 12 months.
Through the programme, rural youth are provided training in different job-oriented skills based on approved courses and the requirements of the employment market.
The revamped DDU-GKY 2.0 is being implemented with an increased focus on digital monitoring, project management and coordination between the Centre, States and Project Implementing Agencies.
DDU-GKY 2.0 targets rural youth from poor rural households
The scheme is designed to expand employment and skill-development opportunities for young people in rural areas.
By linking training with placement opportunities, the programme seeks to address two issues at the same time: the availability of skilled workers for employers and access to formal employment opportunities for rural youth.
The implementation model involves States and UTs, training organisations and Project Implementing Agencies working together for mobilisation, training and placement-linked activities.
The government is now seeking to accelerate this process under DDU-GKY 2.0, with training targets already being allocated across participating States and UTs.
Integrated digital portal to track the entire project cycle
A major component of DDU-GKY 2.0 is its Integrated Digital Portal, which is designed to manage the programme digitally from the beginning of a project to its completion.
The Ministry recently reviewed the implementation of the portal and its different processes and functionalities.
The digital system is intended to facilitate the end-to-end project lifecycle, allowing different stages of implementation to be monitored through a common platform.
The Ministry said the portal will help improve digital monitoring, transparency and efficiency in the implementation of the scheme.
The system is expected to provide greater visibility into project implementation and allow the Ministry and other stakeholders to monitor progress more efficiently.
Treasury portal integration to enable online payments
The Ministry has also reviewed the integration of the DDU-GKY 2.0 portal with State Treasury Portals.
The integration is important for facilitating online payments through the Grameen Kaushal Portal.
States and UTs where the integration process is still pending have been advised to complete it by September 30, 2026.
The Centre has asked the concerned States and UTs to complete the technical integration within the deadline so that payment-related processes can be carried out digitally once training activities begin.
The move is part of the broader shift towards digital management of the scheme.
Four regional workshops to train project implementing agencies
To help Project Implementing Agencies understand the new digital platform, the Ministry will conduct a series of regional workshops during October.
The workshops will be conducted in hybrid mode at four locations. The first workshop will take place in Shillong on October 5, followed by Vijayawada on October 7, Mumbai on October 9 and Dharamshala on October 16.
The workshops will familiarise implementing agencies with the DDU-GKY 2.0 Integrated Portal, including its processes and functionalities.
They will also provide agencies an opportunity to raise implementation-related issues and seek clarification on the digital processes they will need to follow.
The regional format is intended to ensure that Project Implementing Agencies across different parts of the country can receive hands-on guidance as the new system becomes operational.
Government expects spending to rise with training rollout
The Ministry also reviewed the financial status of the scheme during the implementation meeting.
Participating States and UTs indicated that expenditure under the programme is expected to increase once the training batches begin from October onwards.
The expected increase in expenditure is linked to the expansion of training activities, mobilisation of rural youth and implementation of approved projects.
The financial review is part of the Centre’s broader monitoring of the programme as States and UTs move from target allocation and preparatory work to actual training delivery.
October rollout marks next phase of rural skilling programme
The October launch will be an important implementation phase for DDU-GKY 2.0, with 34,920 rural youth scheduled to begin training through 1,164 batches across 14 States and UTs.
At the same time, the programme has a much larger target, with 3,57,112 rural youth sanctioned for training across the 14 States and UTs by December 31, 2027.
Across the wider programme, 5.6 lakh rural youth targets covering more than 1,200 projects have already been allocated by 24 States and UTs, while other participating States and UTs are progressing with their allocations.
With all 31 participating States and UTs having received targets for the 2026-28 period, the Centre is now focusing on moving implementation from target allocation to actual mobilisation and training.
The Ministry has directed States and UTs to complete target allocation to implementing agencies by October 31 and expects most of them to begin mobilisation and training activities during October.
Through DDU-GKY 2.0, the government is seeking to combine rural youth mobilisation, placement-linked skill development, digital monitoring and streamlined payments into a single implementation framework, with the immediate focus now on getting training batches underway.
