The Ministry of Rural Development will roll out Deen Dayal Upadhyaya‑Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU‑GKY) 2.0 training batches across most states and union territories (UTs) from October 2026, an official statement said on Saturday.

As many as 1,164 batches enrolling 34,920 rural youth will start training in October, against a sanctioned target of 3,57,112 rural youth to be trained by December 31, 2027, in these 14 jurisdictions.

The statement from the Ministry of Rural Development said preparedness for the commencement of training batches was reviewed with 14 States and UTs in the first phase.

Preparedness was evaluated at Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Karnataka, Telangana and Bihar.

As per the DDU-GKY 2.0 portal, allocation of 5.6 lakh targets towards more than 1,200 projects has been done by 24 states or UTs. Other states are in the advanced stages of target allocation. Review meetings in phases will expedite the processes of batch commencement.

The Ministry emphasised that that scheme is in a crucial phase and called upon implementing States/UTs to accelerate the allocation of targets to Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs) and to commence batches as per envisaged timelines.

DDU-GKY is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for poor rural youth providing placement-linked skill training. The duration of the training varies from 3 months to 12 months. The meeting reviewed the preparedness of states/UTs for implementation of DDU-GKY 2.0.

The targets have been allocated to all the 31 participating states or UTs for a 2-year period 2026-28.

States or UTs are supposed to ensure allocation of targets to PIAs for commencement of training latest by October 31, 2026. Over 5 lakh targets have already been allocated to PIAs for mobilisation of eligible rural youths, the statement noted.