Bhubaneswar, October 13: In a significant step towards strengthening employability and preparing Odisha's youth for emerging opportunities in India and abroad, the State Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday approved the Dakshyata Vikas Yojana, a flagship skill development scheme with an outlay of Rs 2,450 crore for the period 2026-27 to 2028-29.

According to a Cabinet note, the scheme aims to benefit 4.20 lakh youth across the State through industry-aligned skill training, digital skilling, overseas employment support, and institutional. strengthening.

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A key focus of the scheme is the integration of skilling with higher education in line with the objectives of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Skill Hubs will be established in Higher Education Institutions to offer placement-linked, NSQF-aligned courses to students alongside their academic programmes, enabling them to acquire industry-relevant skills and improve employability while pursuing higher education.

Recognizing the growing demand for skilled workers in international labour markets, the scheme will significantly expand Odisha's overseas employment initiatives. The programme will provide foreign language training in Languages such as German and Japanese, along with cultural orientation, certification support, visa assistance, travel support and post-placement services.

The scheme will provide placement-linked short-term training to 1.17 lakh youth and offer digital skilling to 3 lakh youth in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Data Anatytics and Cybersecurity.

The scheme will also support targeted projects for vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, jail inmates, transgender persons and Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.

The Cabinet also approved the continuation of the Chief Minister Skill Development Fellowship, under which 40 Fellows will be deployed across districts to support in demand assessment, assessing skill gap, industry partnerships, etc. A Skilled-in-Odisha Digital Hub will be established for end-to-end candidate tracking and monitoring of skilling outcomes.

The Dakshyata Vikas Yojana is designed as a comprehensive, outcome-driven initiative that combines quality training, technology-enabled learning and industry partnerships. The scheme is expected to significantly enhance the employability of Odisha's youth and contribute to the State's vision of building a skilled, future-ready and globally competitive workforce in line with Viksit Odisha 2036.