Over 600,000 Rural Youth to Receive Training This Year to Boost Entrepreneurship
The Indian Ministry of Rural Development aims to train over 600,000 rural youth this year to enhance entrepreneurship and livelihoods.
New Delhi, October 13 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian Ministry of Rural Development has announced a significant initiative to strengthen rural entrepreneurship by training over 600,000 rural youth this year. This effort is part of a new partnership with the National Academy of Rural Development and Self Employment Training Institutes (NAR) to enhance training standards, institutional capacity, and monitoring within rural self-employment training institutes.
On October 12, the memorandum of understanding (MoU) was exchanged in the presence of Rohit Kansal, Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development. The primary aim of this collaboration is to establish uniform training standards across rural self-employment training institutes, ensuring quality administration and systematic capacity building.
Key components of the MoU include improving candidate registration through a “Skill Registry” and enhancing biometric authentication via an Aadhaar-enabled attendance system. Additionally, the initiative seeks to elevate the quality and relevance of training provided through the Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs). This will involve introducing modern courses aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), adopting industry-standard training aids and equipment, and implementing core Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) courses as outlined by the ministry.
The partnership also aims to strengthen the training of trainers (ToT), assessment, and certification processes through a unified portal, ensuring compliance with common norms set by the ministry. This year, RSETIs have been tasked with training 635,000 rural youth, including women, SC/ST individuals, persons with disabilities, and other marginalized groups. This target exceeds the training goals set for the previous year (2025–26).
This MoU marks a crucial step toward enhancing training quality, institutional capacity, digital governance, and results-based monitoring within the RSETI ecosystem. By reinforcing the connection between skill development, entrepreneurship, and sustainable livelihoods, this partnership aims to empower rural youth to launch successful businesses and contribute to inclusive rural economic development.
