NEW DELHI: A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Ministry of Ayush and the Deen Dayal Upadyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana, Ministry of Rural Development in order to create a conducive framework for enabling rural youths to become skilled workforce in the Ayush healthcare system.

In the first phase, an estimated 22,000 youth from rural India will be trained in the upcoming fiscal FY2023-24 with minimum 70 per cent placement guarantee.

Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!

The signing in ceremony was done in presence of the Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal and the Union Minister of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Giriraj Singh in New Delhi on Thursday.

The framework sets out the areas of collaboration in order to develop skilled personnel for Ayush healthcare system and Ayush management sectors.

The personnel will be trained as per global standards so as to serve both national and international demand in the sector.

Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!

This provides an opportunity for the rural youth to be trained in the National Skills Qualification framework aligned courses available on National Qualification Register under Deen Dayal Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) scheme.

Some of the courses to be offered under this framework are Panchakarma Technician, Panchakarma Assistant, Ayurvedic Masseur, Kshara Karma Technician and Cupping Therapy Assistant.

To serve the larger goal of community development & employment generation in rural areas, this framework aims creating synergy and convergence between the two ministries.

A Joint Working Group, represented by the officials of the two ministries, is being set up to work on identified activity of mutual interest.

The Union Minister of Ayush, Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Both the ministries will collaborate in boosting the spirit of self employment.

This will enable empowerment of rural youths and women’s. This will increase employment opportunities in rural areas.

Under the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, we will work towards exploring similar associations in order to boost the Ayush healthcare system as well as become an active stakeholder towards boosting the economic growth of the country while firmly committed towards building a better tomorrow.”

The Union Minister of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Shri Giriraj Singh, said, “This MoU will be a landmark in empowering women’s self help groups and rural poor youth. Initial target is to train 32,000 women’s, which will be increased going forward. We will give priority to self help groups.”  


The training programme undertaken under this MoU shall be funded as per DDU-GKY cost norms.

NRLM & DDU-GKY will communicate to States/UTs for enlisting willing SHG members and rural poor youth about the courses and its training by institutes of Ministry of Ayush.

Whereas, the MoA shall provide its institutes for the purpose of conducting courses, training & certification of the aspirants/candidates.

The ministry will also depute nodal agencies across the country, who shall ensure mobilisation, counselling, training, placement and tracking of candidates as per DDU-GKY norms in their respective designated states.

Both ministries will also work on formulating system, wherein technical assistance would be provided in identifying permissible medicinal plantation activities, plant protection, inter-cropping in order to generate additional streams for income under relevant schemes of Ministry of Rural development.

Ministry will also arrange training & orientation of plantation beneficiaries & various community level livelihood workers.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is the flagship programme of the Ministry of Rural Development, GoI.

As a part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), DDU-GKY aims to transform rural poor youth into economically independent and globally relevant workforce.

Through this MoU it is expected to create synergy and convergence between both ministries, and enable fulfillment of larger goal of community development & poverty alleviation in rural areas.

Both sides also agreed to set up a Joint Working Group, through which other activity of mutual interest may be identified and joint worked upon by Ministry of Rural Development & Ministry of Ayush.
The Ministry of Ayush (MoA) is a nodal department of Government of India (GoI) entrusted with the responsibility to a vision of reviving the profound knowledge of our ancient systems of medicine and ensuring the optimal development and propagation of the Ayush systems of healthcare.

Earlier, the Department of Indian System of Medicine and Homoeopathy (ISM&H) formed in 1995, was responsible for the development of these systems.

It was then renamed as the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (Ayush) in November 2003 with focused attention towards education and research in Ayurveda,

Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy. Ayush system is gaining popularity & acceptance across the world and needs high quality skilled & certified human resource nationally & internationally to maintain highest standards & quality to healthcare delivery.

HSSC Sub Council on Ayush under Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) is established as per the advice of MoA in order to develop skills qualifications for Ayush and creating skilling ecosystem for Ayush.

HSSC Sub Council on Ayush under Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) has developed twelve qualifications registered into National Qualification Register and also qualified more than 10,000 students across the country.

Deen Dayal Upadhyaya-Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) is the flagship programme of the Ministry of Rural Development, GoI. As a part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), DDU-GKY aims to transform rural poor youth into economically independent and globally relevant workforce.

To achieve the same, the program has launched a holistic approach to skilling of rural youth with a pioneering focus on standards-led skill development, sustainable employment and career progression.