Port Blair, Mar 18: Deen Dayal Upadhyay Grameen Kaushalya Yojna (DDU-GKY) is a centrally sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Rural Development that aims to skill the underserved, rural youth to provide them with a regular source of income. DDU-GKY is a skilling and placement initiative to ‘transform rural poor youth into an economically independent and globally relevant workforce.”

The objective of the scheme is not only to develop skills of the rural poor Islander youths but also reduce poverty by the placement of the rural poor youth by diversifying income to provide them with a regular source of income.

Through this scheme, the Directorate of RD & PRIs plans to provide skill development training along with placement to 3000 candidates by the year 2022. In the first phase, 1800 candidates shall be imparted training and will be given placement as per guidelines.

Economically backward youth of rural areas will be given skill development residential mode of training along with other required facilities free of cost after the candidates are selected through mobilization, aptitude test and counselling by the Project Implementing Agencies

In this connection, an awareness-cum-mobilization programme was conducted from 03.03.2021 to 09.03.2021 in all 05 Gram Panchayats of the Little Andaman Block under the South Andaman District by the DDU-GKY team with the support of officials of respective Block. In this program, BDO, VLWs, Cluster Coordinators, CRPs, SHG members of NRLM, GRSs of MGNREGA etc. and more than 300 participants enthusiastically took part in the mobilization drive.

Block Development Officer, Little Andaman Block, expressed his happiness on the overwhelming response of the participants and informed that the scheme will improve the employability of the rural youth across this UT including the District of South Andaman by covering the Little Andaman Block.

Talking about the skill development programme of the GoI, the Secretary (RD/PRIs), Mr. Suneel Anchipaka said, youth employment will be encouraged which in term will benefit social development and can bring a fresh perspective and a different way of thinking to build their experience and apply their skills in the workforce.