The Ministry of Rural Development has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Academy of RUDSETI to strengthen how Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) operate across the country. The agreement, signed on 12 October 2026, aims to set uniform training standards, improve the quality of instruction and build institutional capacity at these institutes.
As part of this partnership, the Ministry has set a training target of 6.35 lakh rural youth for the current financial year. This includes women, members of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, and represents an increase from the previous year’s target.
Key facts
- Training target for 2026-27: 6.35 lakh rural youth
- MoU signed on 12 October 2026 between Ministry of Rural Development and National Academy of RUDSETI
- Focus groups: women, SC/ST, PwD and vulnerable communities
- Digital systems: Kaushal Panjee portal, Aadhaar-based face authentication through AEBAS
- Unified tracking portal: kaushal.rural.gov.in
- Key signatory from MoRD: Shri S. Sasikumar, Joint Secretary (Rural Skills)
- Key signatory from NAR: Shri Raju N. Kori, Director General
What the MoU aims to achieve
Rural Self Employment Training Institutes provide skill training to rural youth to help them start their own businesses and create livelihoods. The new agreement focuses on five main areas: establishing consistent training standards across all RSETIs, improving how candidates register and attend training through digital verification, delivering higher-quality courses aligned with national skill frameworks, strengthening the training provided to instructors themselves, and monitoring outcomes more systematically.
The partnership will implement courses that follow the National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF), use equipment and training materials that meet industry standards, and deliver core Entrepreneurship Development Programme courses as set by the Ministry. Training quality will be assessed through a unified online portal where trainee and trainer certifications can be verified and tracked.
Digital systems and registration
The MoU emphasizes modernizing how RSETIs register and monitor trainees. Candidates will be registered through Kaushal Panjee, a skills database maintained by the Ministry. Attendance will be tracked using the Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System (AEBAS), which uses face recognition technology linked to Aadhaar numbers. All certificates and assessments will be managed through a single unified portal at kaushal.rural.gov.in, allowing the Ministry to monitor progress and compliance across all institutes in real time.
Focus on vulnerable groups
The training target explicitly prioritizes women, members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes, persons with disabilities and economically vulnerable rural residents. By increasing the overall target from the previous year while maintaining focus on these groups, the Ministry aims to ensure that skill training reaches those who face the greatest barriers to employment and enterprise creation.
What this means for you
If you are a rural young person seeking skills training to start a business, the higher target means more places may be available at RSETIs near you. The emphasis on quality improvement and industry-aligned courses suggests the training you receive will be more relevant to actual job market demands and entrepreneurship. If you belong to a reserved category or vulnerable group, the Ministry is explicitly working to ensure your access to these programs.
The improved monitoring through digital systems also means your attendance, progress and certification will be tracked more reliably, which could improve your credibility when seeking loans or employment after training.
Connection to existing rural skill schemes
RSETIs are part of the Ministry of Rural Development’s broader effort to create sustainable livelihoods in villages. This agreement strengthens the institutional foundation of these institutes, making them more effective at converting training into actual enterprise creation and employment. The focus on entrepreneurship development and credit linkage suggests the Ministry aims to not just train rural youth but help them transition to running their own small businesses.