DDU-GKY was launched by Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Venkaiah Naidu on 25 September 2014 on the 98th birth anniversary of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. The vision of DDU-GKY is to "transform rural poor youth into an economically independent and globally relevant workforce". It aims to target youth aged 15–35 years. DDU-GKY is a part of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), which works with the twin objectives of adding diversity to the income of rural poor families and fulfills the career aspirations of rural youth.