Vision: Transform rural poor youth into an economically independent and globally relevant workforce
According to Census 2011, India has 55 million potential workers between the ages of 15-35 years in rural areas. At the same time, the World is expected to face a shortage of 57 million workers by 2020. This presents a historic opportunity for Inida to transform its demographic surplus into a demographic dividend.
The Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has launched the “Make In India” campaign to build and re-energize the Indian economy. But the success of the campaign hinges critically upon the availability of quality manpower. The answer therefore lies in Skilling, especially in rural India, for moving people from poverty to productivity.
The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has been the pioneer to invest in Placement linked Skilling with a laser like focus on inclusive growth. Pandit DeenDayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is the outcome of the learning and experience gained by the Ministry, and designed to skill the poor and disadvantaged rural youth to take advantage of the global demographic dynamics, job requirements and domestic industry landscape.
DDU-GKY is the skills action-arm of the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), tasked with Skilling rural youth, moving them from poverty to productivity. It owns and manages the entire lifecycle of the process, from investing into Skilling Projects (at no cost to the trainees or employers) to identifying internships and placement opportunities, and to tracking career progression over a period of 3 years from graduation.