Ministry of Rural Development to Commence DDU-GKY 2.0 Training Batches Across Most States/UTs from October 2026

The Ministry of Rural Development announced the commencement of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) 2.0 training batches across most States and UTs starting October 2026. Initially, 34,920 rural youth across 1,164 batches will begin training under 14 reviewed States and UTs, against a sanctioned target of 3,57,112 youth up to December 2027. DDU-GKY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme providing placement-linked skill training for poor rural youth with durations ranging from 3 to 12 months. The implementation leverages the integrated DDU-GKY 2.0 portal for end-to-end digital monitoring, with regional workshops planned across four locations in October 2026.