KL Report
SRINAGAR
On the closing ceremony of the Start-up Kashmir Youth Entrepreneur (SKYE) Development Project of an International development agency, Mercy Corps the stakeholders in entrepreneurship development Thursday vowed to carry forward the work done on youth entrepreneurship in Kashmir.
As per a statement, young and established entrepreneurs, business leaders, academicians and government officials hailed the efforts of Mercy Corps in creating awareness and promoting youth entrepreneurship in Valley.
Pertinently around 170 entrepreneurs established their business under the SKYE Project. These youth were selected from across the 10 districts of Valley during the business plan competition held in 2012. Mercy Corps mentored these youth and provided them training and orientation, and worked closely with various stakeholders.
“Mercy Corps has done tremendous work over the past three years on youth entrepreneurship in Kashmir valley. We ensured they get all the cooperation from our side,” said MI Parray, Director, J&K Entrepreneurship Development Institute, which provided financial assistance to youth under various schemes such as Youth Start-up Loan Scheme and Seed Capital Fund Scheme.
“This might be the closing of the SKYE project but it actually is a new beginning. We will carry forward all the good work done by Mercy Corps,” said Dr Gazala Amin, a women entrepreneur and a member of the Mercy Corps’ SKYE Mentor Network member.
Around 70 established entrepreneurs, business leaders, academicians, media persons and government officials are part of the SKYE mentor network and have been instrumental in guiding and mentoring young entrepreneurs of Kashmir, reads the statement.
A number of youth, who had established their new small-scale businesses, also shared their entrepreneurial experiences during the event. They hailed Mercy Corps for hand-holding and showing them the path to success.
SKYE, a three-year project, worked to remove barriers and create a sustainable eco-system for youth entrepreneurship in Kashmir.
Mercy Corps, meanwhile, said the organization will continue to work and invest in youth in Kashmir.
