Introduction
Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is the skilling and placement
initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India. DDU-GKY
has its origins in the Aajeevika Skills programme and the ‘Special Projects’ component
of the Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY). The scheme focuses on catering
to the occupational aspirations of rural youth and enhancing their skills for wage
employment.
Implementation of DDU-GKY involves State Governments, Technical Support Agencies
like the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD & PR),
and Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs).
MoRD has notified the Guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to be followed
while implementing the programme. It is mandatory for all project functionaries
under DDU-GKY to be trained, assessed and certified in the Standard Operating Procedures.
Vision
To be a Centre of Excellence and a global leader for policy design and implementation
in skilling and placement linked skill programs for rural youth of the developing
countries.
Mission
To provide technical services such as monitoring, evaluation, training, content
development, and research for the programs undertaken by Government at national
level to enable rural poor youths including socially disadvantaged groups to secure
a better future.
Objectives
- Make NIRDPR the nodal advisory institute for skilling and placement linked programs
for rural youth in the country by 2020
- Enhance the competencies of stakeholders and functionaries in the effective implementation
of placement linked skills programs for the benefit of the rural youth in India.
-
Be a knowledge repository of skilling initiatives and programs in the developing
world.
- To be the leader in impact evaluation research of skilling programs
Status of DDU-GKY Project
|
Scheme
|
No. of Projects
|
Target
|
Trained
|
Placed
|
Undergoing Training
|
|
SGSY(SP)
|
89
|
6,93,213
|
6,52,798
|
5,23,210
|
No Training under Progress
– Project in Closure Stage
|
|
DDU-GKY (YPS)
|
99
|
3,39,116
|
38,980
|
10,568*
|
14,536
|
|
DDU-GKY (APS)
|
231
|
3,27,015
|
67,846
|
23,422*
|
85,003
|
|
Himayat
|
20
|
78,595
|
63244
|
47296
|
3120
|
|
Total
|
439
|
14,37,939
|
8,22,868
|
6,04,496
|
1,02,659
|
Implementation model
DDU-GKY follows a 3-tier implementation model. The DDU-GKY National Unit at MoRD
is the agency responsible for national policy-making, funding, technical support
and facilitation. The DDU-GKY State Skill Missions embedded in general within the
State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) and NIRD are envisioned to play a central
role in providing co-funding and implementation support to DDU-GKY in the State;
and the Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) who implement the programme through
skill training and placement projects.
Achievements
(A) Twelfth plan targets and performance (National Overview)
|
YEAR
|
TARGET
|
TRAINED
|
|
2012-2013
|
212,000
|
217,997
|
|
2013-2014
|
250,000
|
204,783
|
|
2014-2015
|
210,000
|
86,120
|
|
2015-2016
|
177,896
|
270,392
|
|
2016-2017
|
201,000
|
|
|
Total
|
1,050,000
|
711,052
|
Challenges and opportunities
- Work with other Ministries
- Develop knowledge base which could be a reference source for the country
-
Develop frameworks and methods in assessing the impact of skill programs
- Development into a process design and certifying agency for skilling systems in
country
- Thinking globally with special focus on developing countries in Asia
and Africa
Centre for Skills and Jobs (DDU-GKY Centre) is on a threshold:
- It can wipe out many a tear from the eyes of poor and deserving
- It can have a forward looking outlook to make a global impact
Key Features
Project implementation agency (PIA)
- Ensuring that trainees are able to access skilling and placement services free of
cost.
- Providing financial assistance for transport/ lodging and food during training.
- Providing for post placement support for six months.
- Providing for post-placement counseling, facilitation and tracking for one year.
- Providing training in a number of trades that do not require formal education.
- Encouraging exemplary performance in skill development by various stakeholders by
instituting awards by State Government
- Migration Support and Alumni Network to enable farm to factory transition.
- Emphasis on regions like Jammu & Kashmir (HIMAYAT), 27 Left Wing Extremist Districts
(ROSHINI) and North East States.
- Inclusive Program Design which involves mandatory coverage of socially disadvantaged
groups (SC/ST 50%, Minority 15%, Women 33%)
Policy advisory
- Working with the Ministry of Rural Development to design and deliver a standards
led delivery for the program
- Working with MoRD and other key stakeholders to define the strategic imperatives
of the program
- Designing the Standard Operating Procedures to provide essential
quality assurance framework for training infrastructure and service delivery
-
Working with MoRD and other key stakeholders to define the policy guidelines for
`the program
Capacity building
- The sole Central Agency entrusted with capacity building for the program
- Disseminating knowledge and enabling field functionaries in implementing the DDU-GKY
programme
- Knowledge bank - SOP,ESOP & PFMS
- DDU-GKY website,
- Resource pool of Master trainers for orientation on DDU-GKY
- Capacity building of Project Implementing Agencies
- E-office
- Has taken the leadership role in coordinating innovative capacity building initiatives
- Considerable progress in the past one year:
- Trained around 5000 people in 130 programmes
- Developed a web portal for e-learning and certification on SOP
Impact evaluation
- Taking up full research studies based panel data
- Conducting labour market studies
- Conducting skill gap studies
"Advancing sustainable, wage-based livelihood opportunities for transgender and gender-diverse
communities in rural India through consultations and policy advocacy."
An initiative of NIRDPR and Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI)
The repository is being built under the CFLI project that aims to advance the economic
rights of transgender and gender-diverse persons in India—particularly those from
rural and peri-urban areas—by facilitating access to sustainable, wage-based livelihood
opportunities. Through a comprehensive review of national and international livelihood
models, enabling policies, and implementation frameworks, the project will identify
gaps, challenges, and promising practices.
Community-driven insights gathered from regional consultations with transgender
persons, CBOs, employers, and local governments will inform the design of inclusive,
context specific solutions that bridge the disconnect between progressive legislation
and lived employment realities.
Building on this foundation, the project is developing scalable and adaptable operational
models, toolkits, and stakeholder frameworks to guide inclusive livelihood programs.
It will generate evidence-based policy briefs and comparative tools to influence
labour laws, CSR practices, and welfare schemes, while fostering collaboration among
government agencies, industry, civil society, and community organizations. The project
ensures sustainability through the development of publicly accessible, long-term-use
resources that can be adopted by ministries, state governments, CSR partners, and
skilling agencies. NIRDPR will promote continued adoption through its national training
mandate, while Intermediary Organizations will support ongoing grassroots engagement
and monitoring through its community networks.
Currently, as a part of the project, desk review and situation analysis, and field
documentation of best practices are in progress.
CFLI team said: “Canada is proud to support NIRDPR through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), reflecting our shared commitment to inclusive development, gender equality, and sustainable, community-led solutions. We are pleased to partner with this initiative and commend their efforts to strengthen community engagement and resilience. Canada remains committed to working alongside local leaders to help build a more equitable and just future for local communities.”
Faculty Profile
|
Name
|
Dr. Sandhya Gopakumaran
|
|
Designation
|
Director – Training & Development
|
|
Contact No.
|
040-24001205
|
|
Email
|
sandhya.nird@gov.in
|
|
Name
|
Dr. Sandhya Gopakumaran
|
|
Designation
|
Director - MIS(i/c)
|
|
Contact No.
|
040-24001207
|
|
Email
|
sandhya.nird@gov.in
|
|
Name
|
Director - Finance
|
|
Designation
|
Director - Finance
|
|
Contact No.
|
040-24008548
|
|
E-mail
|
|
|
Name
|
Shri. L. Sudhakara Reddy
|
|
Designation
|
Director (Monitoring & Evaluation), DDU-GKY, NIRD&PR
|
|
Contact No.
|
040-24008537
|
|
E-mail
|
svnreddy.nird@gov.in
|
|