The Ministry of Rural Development, in collaboration with the Rajasthan Skill and Livelihoods Development Corporation (RSLDC), organised a Captive Employer CXO Meet under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) 2.0 at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur on Wednesday.
The meeting aimed to strengthen industry participation in the scheme’s Captive Employment component and align skill development with industry manpower requirements to create sustainable employment opportunities for rural youth.
The event brought together more than 50 employers, representatives of industry associations and Sector Skill Councils (SSCs), chief executives and managing directors of State Rural Livelihood Missions (SRLMs) and State Skill Development Missions (SSDMs) from States and Union Territories, along with senior Central and State Government officials.
During the meeting, officials highlighted the role of DDU-GKY in connecting skill development with sustainable employment. According to the Ministry of Rural Development, 18.49 lakh youth have been trained and 12.44 lakh candidates placed under the scheme so far.
DDU-GKY equips rural youth with domain-specific skills, soft skills and language proficiency to improve their employability and support sustained employment. The scheme focuses on achieving placement or eligible self-employment outcomes for at least 70 per cent of trained candidates.
Under DDU-GKY 2.0, 20 per cent of the scheme’s targets have been earmarked for captive employers, with a national target of 1.83 lakh candidates under the Captive Employment component.
The Ministry encouraged industry partners to participate in skill training and employ trained candidates within their own organisations. Interested employers are required to respond to Expressions of Interest (EoIs) issued by State Implementing Agencies to participate as captive employers under the scheme.
Officials also outlined the funding framework for Project Implementing Agencies (PIAs), including eligible captive employers. Payments are structured in four instalments in the ratio of 30:20:20:30, linked to prescribed implementation milestones. The final instalment is linked to the fulfilment of applicable placement and verification requirements, including the mandatory six-month employment period.
An interactive session between industry representatives and State officials provided a platform to discuss workforce requirements, implementation challenges and potential areas of collaboration. Participants exchanged views on strengthening employer engagement and translating industry demand into structured skill training and employment opportunities.
-PIB
