New Delhi, October 13, 2026: The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) has partnered with the National Academy of RUDSETI (NAR) to strengthen rural skill development, promote entrepreneurship and improve livelihood opportunities, setting a training target of 6.35 lakh rural youth for the current year through Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs).
The Ministry exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NAR on October 12, 2026, to establish uniform training standards, improve administrative practices and facilitate systematic capacity building across RSETIs nationwide.
The MoU exchange took place in the presence of Rohit Kansal, Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development. S. Sasikumar, Joint Secretary (Rural Skills), exchanged the agreement on behalf of the Department of Rural Development, while Raju N. Kori, Director General of NAR, represented the academy.
A key objective of the partnership is to enhance the quality, relevance and delivery of training programmes offered through the RSETI network. The initiative will focus on improving candidate registration through Kaushal Panjee and strengthening attendance monitoring through Aadhaar-based face authentication under the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS).
The collaboration will also promote the introduction of new-age courses aligned with the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), alongside the adoption of industry-benchmarked training equipment and learning materials. RSETIs will implement core Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) courses as notified by the Ministry to equip trainees with the skills needed to establish and manage their own enterprises.
The agreement further provides for strengthening the Training of Trainers (ToT) framework, improving the assessment and certification of trainers and candidates through the Unified Portal at kaushal.rural.gov.in, and ensuring compliance with the Common Norms prescribed by the Ministry.
For the current year, RSETIs have been assigned a target of training 6.35 lakh rural youth, exceeding the target set for the previous financial year, 2025–26. The programme will cover women, members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable sections of rural society.
The partnership is expected to improve institutional capacity, strengthen digital governance and establish more effective monitoring mechanisms across the RSETI ecosystem. By standardising training practices and aligning skill development with market and industry requirements, the initiative aims to help rural youth acquire practical skills and build sustainable self-employment opportunities.
The agreement reinforces the Ministry of Rural Development’s focus on connecting skill development with entrepreneurship and livelihood generation. It also supports the broader vision of Viksit Bharat by encouraging rural enterprise creation, expanding economic opportunities and promoting inclusive growth across rural India.