More than 6 lakh rural youths will be trained this year.

The central government has formally approved the plan to train more than 6 lakh rural youth this year under the National Skill Development Mission (NSDM). The main objective of this initiative is to reduce unemployment in rural areas, create self‑employment opportunities, and enhance the competitiveness of agriculture‑based industries. Implementation of the scheme will be overseen jointly by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the Ministry of Rural Development (MGNREGA), while training will be partnered with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and various state‑level skill development agencies. Training centres will be established in existing agricultural universities, intracolleges, and technology institutes, thereby improving reach and reducing costs.

The training programme will prioritize agricultural technology, digital literacy, water‑conservation, entrepreneurship, and technical skills required for small‑medium enterprises (SME) such as solar‑energy installation, mobile application development, and food processing. In addition, special sessions will be organized for female youth participants, promoting gender equality. The estimated budget for this initiative includes training materials, trainer fees, and the establishment of an employment‑matching platform.

After successfully training about 3 lakh youth under the scheme in the first two years, the government has pledged to evaluate the results and readjust the training modules in line with industry demand. Experts believe that if the scheme is implemented effectively, it could lead to a potential increase of more than 15 percent in rural incomes and make a significant contribution to reducing the skill gap at the national level. Thus, this ambitious plan to train more than 6 lakh rural youth is seen as a major step in the country's socio‑economic progress.