Dimapur: Nagaland Rural Development Minister Metsubo Jamir on Friday said the state government was working to bring the future to the doorsteps of young Nagas through the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY).
Addressing a combined induction programme for DDU-GKY trainees at Seithekema-A village in Chumoukedima district, Jamir said Nagaland had the potential to emerge as a powerhouse of skills and employment, with countless opportunities available to its youth.
Themed “One Platform, New Skills, Countless Opportunities”, the event was organised under the Union Rural Development Ministry’s skilling initiative in association with the Nagaland State Rural Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM).
Jamir urged the trainees not to be discouraged by the challenges they faced but to work harder to keep pace with their counterparts in mainland India.
He asked the trainees to learn sincerely, respect their work, remember that no work was small, and return to inspire others in their villages.
Jamir also called on the youth to look beyond securing jobs for themselves and work towards creating employment opportunities for other young people in Nagaland.
He assured them that the government would do its best to support their employment efforts, particularly those who took the initiative to generate jobs on their own.
Delivering the keynote address, NSRLM Joint Secretary Moa Sangtam said that, besides promoting self-help groups (SHGs) and improving their livelihoods, the mission had been implementing DDU-GKY for the past eight years to create employment opportunities for family members, particularly young people from SHG households.
Under DDU-GKY 1.0, the NSRLM has trained 8,837 candidates since the 2018-19 financial year through residential training. Of these, 6,129 have secured job placements across the country, including international placements, he said.
With the rollout of DDU-GKY 2.0 in the 2025-26 financial year, 481 candidates have been trained so far and are undergoing the placement process, Sangtam added.