With an ambitious agenda to benchmark wage placement-linked program to global standards, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) revamped the placement linked skill development program under National Rural Livelihood Mission as DeenDayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) on the 25th September, 2014. DDU-GKY is a nationwide placement-linked skill training program funded by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.

The program is currently being implemented in 27 States and 3 UT and has over 2198 Training Centres in 1822 projects, in partnership with 839 Project Implementing Agencies conducting training across 56 sectors, and over 600 job-roles.During FY 2020-21, 28687 candidates have been trained and 49396 candidates have been placed till 31.03.2021.Progress since Inception – Total 10.81 lakh candidates have been trained in 56 sectors and 600 Trades and 6.92 lakh placed (till 31.03.2021). 

Alumni meet is an important component of the scheme. The Alumni meets provide healthy ground for experience sharing by the former trainees with their present counterparts on topics like placements, career goals, challenges they faced in finding employment before undertaking the trainings and the benefits they reaped after. Some of the former trainees are also felicitated at the events for their exemplary performances at their workplaces.

As part of the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations, around 119 ‘Alumni Meets’ were organized across the country between 5th and 11th April, 2021, with much fervor by States/UTs commemorating 75 years of Indian Independence. State Rural Livelihood Missions of 22 States & UTs came together with various Project Implementation Agencies (PIAs) to make the all-India event a grand success. 

As part of the ‘Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations, more than fifty PIAs reached out to former trainees, who have been successfully employed after undergoing training in various trades at the DDU-GKY centres. The meets were organized both virtually and physically at PIA centres, following all Covid safety protocols. ‘Covid Appropriate Behaviour’ along with vaccination of eligible persons was also stressed at these meets. States like Kerala, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Assam etc. saw maximum number of events being organized.

APS/MG                                                       *****