When the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) was launched on 25 September 2014 under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission, it aimed to connect rural youth from poorer households with skill training and employment opportunities. Twelve years later, the programme has entered a new phase, with DDU-GKY 2.0 placing greater emphasis on sustainable employment, post-placement support, industry-linked training and career progression.
For rural women, this transition is especially significant. Skill development can provide women with opportunities to earn, enter new sectors, develop professional confidence and participate more actively in the economic life of their families and communities.
The latest government figures show the scale of the programme. Since 2014-15, more than 18.47 lakh candidates have been trained across more than 800 job roles, while over 12.43 lakh have been placed. Women account for more than 9.71 lakh of those trained and over 6.34 lakh of those placed, according to the Ministry of Rural Development.
This makes the women’s dimension of DDU-GKY particularly important as the programme moves into its next phase.
A 12-year journey from skills to livelihoods
DDU-GKY has evolved considerably since its launch. The programme is designed for rural youth between 15 and 35 years from poor households and follows a placement-linked skilling model. Social inclusion is built into its framework, including mandatory coverage of 33 per cent women, alongside prescribed coverage for SC/ST communities and persons with disabilities.
Over the years, the focus has increasingly shifted from simply providing training towards connecting training with employment outcomes.
The revised DDU-GKY 2.0 guidelines, notified in May 2025, strengthen this approach by focusing on training quality, placement, employment sustainability and post-placement support. The programme is currently being implemented across 31 States and Union Territories through more than 749 approved projects, over 760 active training centres and more than 455 Project Implementing Agencies.
For women, the shift is important because completing a course does not automatically translate into long-term economic independence. This makes the quality of support after training particularly important.
A woman who receives technical training in healthcare, hospitality, retail, textiles, beauty and wellness, IT-enabled services, food processing or another emerging sector may need additional support while transitioning into employment.
The revised framework increases the minimum placement duration from three months to six months and covers wage employment, self-employment and gig employment.
For women, this longer employment horizon can make the difference between receiving a short-term opportunity and building work experience that can support future career growth.
Digital skills can widen women’s choices
The modern labour market increasingly requires digital capabilities alongside traditional technical skills.
DDU-GKY’s training framework retains a minimum of 576 hours for the relevant three-month course structure, including domain-specific training and mandatory non-domain components. These include English communication, employability and life skills, computer and digital literacy, and entrepreneurship.
Digital literacy can be particularly useful for rural women.
A woman with digital skills can search for jobs online, communicate with employers, make digital payments, participate in online learning and access government or financial services.
For those interested in entrepreneurship, digital platforms can also provide a way to promote products and reach customers beyond the local market.
This is especially relevant for women engaged in handicrafts, tailoring, food products, beauty services, traditional products and other home-based activities.
From employee to entrepreneur
A salaried job is one possible outcome of skill development. Entrepreneurship can be another.
Some rural women may prefer to establish small businesses close to their homes, particularly where family responsibilities make migration or full-time employment elsewhere difficult.
This is where the wider rural skilling ecosystem, including Rural Self-Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs), becomes relevant.
According to the Ministry of Rural Development, 647 RSETIs across 634 districts have trained 63.47 lakh candidates, with 45.60 lakh reported as successfully settled. These institutions support self-employment and rural entrepreneurship.
For women, entrepreneurship programmes can become more meaningful when training is accompanied by access to finance, markets, mentoring, digital tools and business knowledge.
The objective should be to expand choices rather than create a single pathway for every woman.
Migration support is also important
Employment opportunities are not always available near a person’s village. Migration can therefore become part of the employment journey.For young women, however, migration can involve additional considerations, including accommodation, safety, transport, workplace adjustment and access to support systems.
DDU-GKY 2.0 strengthens the programme’s approach to migration and post-placement support. This can help candidates adjust to new employment environments and remain connected with support mechanisms after leaving their home areas.
At the same time, expanding local employment and entrepreneurship opportunities remains important for women who cannot or do not wish to migrate. Jammu and Kashmir in the changing skilling landscape
The programme has relevance for Jammu and Kashmir.
The latest government information states that J&K had received 100 per cent of its allocated DDU-GKY 2.0 target and had started training for 91 per cent of that allocation in the initial rollout. This creates scope for connecting rural youth in the region with sectors where new employment opportunities are emerging.
The revised DDU-GKY 2.0 framework is designed around industry requirements and includes sectors such as healthcare, logistics, hospitality, retail, green jobs, textiles, beauty and wellness, agriculture and other areas. Emerging areas such as electric-vehicle maintenance, renewable energy, care economy and media and entertainment are also being prioritised. Women in Jammu and Kashmir can potentially widen the range of occupations available beyond traditionally familiar forms of employment.
Training must keep pace with the workplace
The world of work is changing rapidly. Employers increasingly require digital familiarity, communication skills, adaptability and sector-specific technical knowledge. Artificial intelligence, automation, online platforms and new technologies are also changing job requirements.
A woman should not have to depend on one qualification throughout her working life. Opportunities to upgrade skills can help her respond to changing workplace requirements and move towards better employment opportunities.
Measuring what happens after placement
The success of a skill-development programme cannot be understood through training numbers alone.
For women, questions about employment retention, earnings, career progression and entrepreneurship are equally important.
How many women remain employed after six months? How many move into better positions? How many start businesses? How many continue learning? How many are able to increase their household contribution?
These indicators can provide a more complete picture of whether training is translating into sustainable livelihoods.
DDU-GKY 2.0 is also introducing an end-to-end digital system covering project registration, training-centre and candidate management, assessment, certification, financial management, monitoring and employment tracking. The system includes dashboards, digital attendance and assessment, grievance redressal and certificate verification. Such systems can make implementation easier to monitor while providing greater visibility into the journey from training to employment.
The next chapter for rural women
DDU-GKY is moving into a phase where the emphasis is increasingly on what happens after training. For rural women, that distinction matters. A skill can become a job. A job can become a stable income. An income can create greater financial participation. And entrepreneurship can allow a woman to become a producer, service provider or employer within her own community.
The next challenge is to ensure that these opportunities translate into durable livelihoods.
As DDU-GKY enters its 13th year, its women’s dimension deserves continued attention. The future of rural skilling will depend increasingly on whether women are able to access relevant training, enter suitable workplaces, remain employed, upgrade their skills and, where they choose, build enterprises of their own.
It is measured in the opportunities that follow, the income that can be earned, the choices that become possible and the greater role women can play in shaping the economic future of their families and communities.
The Author is a Writer and Social commentator with a Master’s in Food Science and Technology and a B.ED. Writes on themes related to women’s empowerment, rural livelihoods, entrepreneurship, health, and changing social realities in the Kashmir Valley.
