Unemployment: 48,000 engineering graduates have registered under Yuva Nidhi scheme

The unemployment in the engineering sector is increasing in the State due to lack of necessary skills and other reasons and this year, around 48,000 engineering graduates have registered under the Yuva Nidhi scheme.

Of the total 3.79 lakh registered till date under the scheme, as many as 2.98 lakh were eligible for financial benefits. Of these, there are a total of 43,529 engineering graduates, 374 engineering postgraduates, and 4,250 diploma-engineering candidates.

Minister for Medical Education, Skill Development and Livelihood Sharan Prakash Patil, sharing the details on Thursday, said the number of non-engineering graduates enrolled under the scheme include Arts, Science, Commerce, Management graduates- 3,00,214 - and non-engineering postgraduates registered were 27,843.

“Out of about 1 lakh engineering graduates who pass out every year, only about 20 to 25,000 candidates get jobs. The increasing unemployment in the engineering sector is a matter of concern. The government is providing skill training to the candidates registered under the Yuva Nidhi scheme. But out of this, about 90% of the candidates are not turning up for skill training,” the Minister said.

Dr. Patil gave an open offer to corporate companies to start skill training centers in government and private engineering colleges. “Bajaj has started a skill training centre at PES University and is already providing training to engineering graduates. TATA has taken steps to start a training center at R.V. Engineering college. If corporate companies come forward to start training centers in any government and private colleges in the State, necessary infrastructure will be provided. In addition, if they provide training to the candidates selected by the government, the training expenses will be released to the companies as soon as they get jobs,” he added.

The Minister said that the government is setting up multi-level skill training centres in Kalaburagi, Talakal of Koppal district, and Mysuru to train Yuva Nidhi beneficiaries. “Despite the government being ready to spend on them, the candidates are not ready to attend the training. We have tried to reach out to them through messages and calls, but there is no response. There might be an opinion that financial assistance will be stopped during training. However, we have clarified several times that it will not be discontinued unless they get placed and for two years,” he said.

According to data, ₹27 crore set aside for the Yuva Nidhi training purpose was not utilised in 2025. The department has now decided to increase the target with the combined funds of 2025 and 2026.