Bhubaneswar, Nov 12: Nearly 2.10 lakh rural youth have been trained and more than 1.23 lakh candidates have secured employment across various sectors in Odisha since the inception of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), said an official on Thursday.

Building on these achievements, a two-day state-level capacity building programme on DDU-GKY 2.0 was inaugurated on Wednesday by Rabi Narayan Naik, Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water. The programme aims to strengthen implementation mechanisms and improve employment opportunities for rural youth across the State.

Organised by the Odisha Rural Development and Marketing Society (ORMAS) under the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department, the programme brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India, National Informatics Centre (NIC), NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS), National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), and the Technical Support Agency (TSA) team of Grant Thornton Bharat LLP. Representatives of Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs), technical experts and programme functionaries from across Odisha also participated.

Addressing the gathering, Minister Rabi Narayan Naik said skill development and employment generation would play a crucial role in achieving the vision of Viksit Odisha 2036 and Viksit Bharat 2047.

Describing the youth as the State’s greatest strength, he stressed the importance of equipping rural candidates with industry-relevant skills and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

He also underlined the immense potential of young people from tribal, KBK, Aspirational and Western Odisha districts, calling for stronger skilling interventions to ensure their participation in emerging employment opportunities across key growth sectors.

 Dr Monica Priyadarshini, CEO of ORMAS, highlighted the achievements of Odisha under DDU-GKY, noting that nearly 2.10 lakh rural youth have received skill training and over 1.23 lakh have obtained employment in different sectors since the programme began.

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She said Odisha has been entrusted with the target of training 62,050 rural youth during the 2025–2028 period, backed by an approved financial outlay of nearly ₹750 crore. As many as 115 projects have already been sanctioned under the programme.

Emphasising the priorities under DDU-GKY 2.0, Priyadarshini said the focus must now shift towards ensuring quality training delivery, timely execution of projects and meaningful employment outcomes for rural candidates.

She also reiterated ORMAS' commitment to strengthening rural livelihoods through effective skill development initiatives and stronger industry partnerships.