SRINAGAR: As part of its drive to generate over 4.25 lakh employment opportunities through 1.37 lakh new enterprises, the Jammu and Kashmir government has received 8,189 loan applications under Mission YUVA. Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday reviewed the progress and directed officials to intensify efforts for effective implementation.
Chairing a high-level meeting with senior officials, university heads, and representatives from IIT Jammu, IIM Jammu, NABARD and J&K Bank, Dulloo called for stronger outreach, timely case approvals, and institutional support to facilitate job creation at the grassroots.
He asked Deputy Commissioners to scale up awareness and ensure regular meetings of District Level Implementation Committees (DLICs). J&K Bank was told to appoint a senior officer for Mission YUVA operations and ensure weekly visits by branch managers to Block Business Help Desks to guide applicants.
The Chief Secretary also asked BISAG-N to develop a monitoring dashboard for real-time data on application processing and stakeholder engagement.
Labour and Employment Secretary Rajeev Ranjan outlined the four pillars of the scheme—Culture, Capital, Capacity Building and Connectivity (4Cs)—designed to stimulate enterprise-led employment in J&K.
Awareness campaigns have so far covered 2,086 panchayats and reached 98,700 individuals. The current phase aims to reach 2 lakh people and cover 90% of panchayats. The ongoing “Jagriti 3.0” campaign, launched on May 15, has contributed significantly to the recent surge in applications.
Under the scheme, aspiring entrepreneurs aged 18–59 can avail collateral-free loans up to Rs 5 lakh with 5 intrest interest subsidy. Existing MSMEs are eligible for larger loans with 80% project cost financing.
Support structures including Business Help Desks, Small Business Development Units, and business acceleration hubs in Srinagar and Jammu will assist applicants with training, proposal drafting, and post-setup market linkages.
Mission YUVA is positioned as a key employment generation programme aimed at transforming J&K into a hub of sustainable enterprises.
