The Ministry of Rural Development is set to commence training batches under Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) 2.0 across most States and Union Territories from October 2026.
As part of the first phase, preparedness for the launch of training batches was reviewed with 14 States and Union Territories, including Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Karnataka, Telangana and Bihar.
A total of 1,164 training batches involving 34,920 rural youth are scheduled to begin in October. Against this, a sanctioned target of 3,57,112 rural youth has been set to be trained by December 31, 2027, across these 14 States and UTs.
According to the DDU-GKY 2.0 portal, targets of 5.6 lakh rural youth across more than 1,200 projects have already been allocated by 24 States and UTs. Other States and UTs are at advanced stages of target allocation.
DDU-GKY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that provides placement-linked skill training to poor rural youth. The duration of training ranges from three to 12 months, depending on the course.
The Ministry said targets have been allocated to all 31 participating States and UTs for the two-year period from 2026 to 2028. States and UTs have been asked to expedite the allocation of targets to Project Implementing Agencies and commence training batches as per the prescribed timelines.
They have also been advised to complete the allocation of targets to Project Implementing Agencies by October 31, 2026. Based on information received by the Ministry, more than five lakh targets have already been allocated to agencies for mobilisation of eligible rural youth.
The Ministry expects most States and UTs to begin mobilisation and training during October.
Integrated Digital Portal
The Ministry also reviewed the implementation of the DDU-GKY 2.0 Integrated Portal, which facilitates the end-to-end project lifecycle and enables digital monitoring, transparency and greater efficiency.
The integration of the portal with State Treasury Portals was also reviewed. States and UTs where the integration is still pending have been advised to complete the process by September 30, 2026, to facilitate online payments through the Grameen Kaushal Portal.
To familiarise Project Implementing Agencies with the digital platform, the Ministry will organise regional workshops in hybrid mode at four locations during October.
The workshops will be held at Shillong on October 5, Vijayawada on October 7, Mumbai on October 9 and Dharamshala on October 16.
The workshops will provide an opportunity to brief Project Implementing Agencies on the DDU-GKY 2.0 portal, its processes and functionalities, and address implementation-related concerns.
The financial status of the scheme was also reviewed. Participating States and UTs indicated that expenditure is expected to increase with the commencement of training batches from October onwards.
