# 6 lakh rural youth jobless despite DDU-GKY training, panel says 2026-08-12T18:18:40+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets A parliamentary panel has flagged that the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) trained 18.38 lakh rural youth but placed only 11.94 lakh, leaving nearly 6 lakh without jobs. The government admitted a 65% placement ratio, short of the 70% target. The Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, led by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, noted that low post-placement salaries and high dropout rates contribute to distress migration. State-wise performance varied widely: Tamil Nadu placed 95.3%, while Uttar Pradesh managed only 43%. Women accounted for 52.5% of trainees but their placement rate lagged. The government introduced DDU-GKY 2.0 from April 2025, doubling the minimum placement period to six months and allowing self-employment and gig work. The panel recommended 100% placement tracking and green skills integration. ## Coverage - economictimes.indiatimes.com - hindustantimes.com - livemint.com Tags: DDU-GKY, Parliamentary panel, placement gap, rural employment, skilling Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/only-65-get-jobs-as-6-lakh-rural-youth-remain-jobless/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/only-65-get-jobs-as-6-lakh-rural-youth-remain-jobless/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.