Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 9: While Karnataka’s Yuva Nidhi guarantee scheme continues to provide monthly financial assistance to nearly three lakh unemployed graduates and diploma holders, the free skill training programme linked to it — Yuva Nidhi Plus — has found almost no takers, with about 90% of beneficiaries opting not to enrol.
Yuva Nidhi is one of the State government’s five guarantee schemes and offers direct cash assistance to unemployed youth. Yuva Nidhi Plus, launched in February 2024, is an optional skill development initiative meant exclusively for Yuva Nidhi beneficiaries, aimed at improving their employability through free job-oriented training at recognised institutions.
Despite repeated outreach through phone calls and SMS, encouraging beneficiaries to enrol, participation in Yuva Nidhi Plus has remained negligible.
Officials attribute the poor response largely to misplaced fears among beneficiaries that enrolling for training could result in the discontinuation of their financial assistance under Yuva Nidhi. Addressing these concerns, Minister for Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood Dr Sharan Prakash Patil said there was no truth to such apprehensions.
“They are scared the government will stop providing funds under the Yuva Nidhi scheme. But that is not the truth. When they are being trained, the government will still support them with funds under the guarantee scheme until they get placement,” the minister said.
Dr Patil said around 2,98,000 graduates and diploma holders are currently registered as beneficiaries under Yuva Nidhi, but very few have come forward to access the free training offered through Yuva Nidhi Plus. “The government wants to offer skill-based training that can make them employable. However, none of them have come forward to register and access training,” he said.
The State government had set a target of training 25,000 Yuva Nidhi beneficiaries and earmarked Rs 27 crore for Yuva Nidhi Plus. However, the funds allocated for 2025 remained unutilised due to the lack of enrolments. “Now the department has decided to increase the training target by consolidating the 2025 and 2026 funds,” Dr Patil added.
Data from the Yuva Nidhi scheme shows that 3,79,080 students registered, of whom 2,98,316 were found eligible for direct benefit transfer (DBT). Among them, over 47,000 unemployed youth, or about 13%, are engineering graduates.
“About 3,00,214 students are from Arts, Science, Commerce, Management and other streams, while 27,843 are non-engineering postgraduates,” the minister said. Highlighting the employment challenge, he added that only about 20,000 out of every one lakh engineering graduates manage to secure jobs.
To improve employment outcomes, particularly for engineering graduates, Dr Patil stressed the need for a tripartite training model involving educational institutions, industry and the government. “For instance, at PES University, Bajaj company has set up a training centre for students. They conduct entrance exams, and even government college students can participate and get trained by them,” he said.
Under the proposed model, college campuses would host training centres, the State government would bear the cost of training, and private companies would provide training and placements. “Following this successful model, another private company is setting up a training centre at RV College,” Dr Patil said.
Despite the government spending Rs 874.17 crore in FY 2025–26 on Yuva Nidhi, officials acknowledge that unless misconceptions among beneficiaries are addressed, the skill training component designed to improve long-term employability may continue to remain underutilised.