Seekho Aur Kamao: Uttar Pradesh gets highest allocation under PM VIKAS

Seekho Aur Kamao, meaning Learn and Earn, trains minority youth in modern trades like retail, hospitality and IT-enabled services, alongside traditional skills such as weaving, embroidery and craftwork, matched to qualification and market demand, with placement built in.

It now continues as the core skilling component of Pradhan Mantri Virasat Ka Samvardhan (PM VIKAS).The name has expanded. What stays unchanged is the promise at its heart: a trade, learned with intent, can become a steady income.Skills matched to the marketSeekho Aur Kamao is a Central Sector scheme, funded entirely by the Ministry of minority affairs. Funds are not allocated directly to states; the ministry invites proposals from state governments and empanelled agencies.

Training runs through these empanelled agencies.Uttar Pradesh has been allocated 18,080 training slots, the largest allocation of any state.Who can apply?Applicants must belong to one of six notified minority communities: Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis. The age bracket is 14 to 45 years, with a minimum qualification of Class 5. Women are prioritised, with 33 percent of slots reserved for them.Trained, certified, placedTraining is free and aligned to national skills qualification framework standards, so certification carries weight beyond the local market.

At least 75 percent of trained candidates are placed, half in the organised sector. Women completing the leadership track may be selected to become Biz Sakhis, business mentors supporting other women entrepreneurs.Beneficiaries also gain credit linkages through the national minorities development and finance corporation, and market access through Hunar Haat.Finding your nearest training centreThere is no single national application portal. Batches are announced locally by empanelled agencies.

Candidates can approach their nearest PIA centre or district minority welfare office, or check pmvikas. minorityaffairs. gov. in.A decade of placement, a larger target headSeekho Aur Kamao has trained close to 4.68 lakh beneficiaries nationally, with over 2.28 lakh placed in jobs. That legacy carries forward under PM VIKAS, with a national target of 9 lakh beneficiaries, of which 1.51 lakh are slated for the current cycle.

Uttar Pradesh's allocation of 18,080 leads every other state.For minority youth across the state, Seekho Aur Kamao remains what it was always meant to be: not just a training programme, but a first step toward financial ground that holds.Progress in Uttar Pradesh over the last nine yearsUttar Pradesh remained one of the major beneficiary states under the scheme because of its large eligible population and extensive network of training partners.Training was provided in both modern trades (IT, retail, healthcare, hospitality, apparel, electronics, logistics, beauty & wellness) and traditional trades such as handicrafts, embroidery and artisan-based occupations.At least 33% of seats were reserved for women, and nationally women eventually accounted for over 56% of trainees, making the programme an important avenue for minority women's skill development.During the COVID-19 period, healthcare-related skill courses were expanded to improve employability in the health sector.National achievements relevant to Uttar PradeshSince its launch, about 4.68 lakh minority youth were trained across India. Around 2.28 lakh trainees were reported to have obtained employment or self-employment.An independent evaluation found that over 85% of trainees were employed after training, with significant increases in average family income.