Last updated: January 25, 2023, 5:39 PM IST
Lt Guv Manoj Sinha presented the certificates. (ANI file)
The lieutenant governor said the administration is fully committed to youth entrepreneurship and ensuring self-employment opportunities
On the eve of Republic Day, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha handed out certificates to selected young people who took advantage of the opportunity to start their own business in Jammu and Kashmir.
The lieutenant governor said the administration is fully committed to youth entrepreneurship and ensuring self-employment opportunities.
“We have taken many steps to create supportive infrastructure, arrangements and policies to accelerate the economic development of Jammu and Kashmir and meet the aspirations of young people. Mission Youth, JKRLM and other government agencies partner with J and K Bank to help thousands of new entrepreneurs start businesses. The ride during ‘Back to Village’ and ‘My Town My Pride’ created a new record allowing 75,000 young entrepreneurs to start a new chapter of their lives as they celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,” said Sinha.
During the Back 2 Village-4 and My Town My Pride 2.0 campaign period initiated by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir effective from October 27, 2022 and November 28, 2022 respectively, banks in the United Territory organized job generation camps as per guidelines of the government.
The campaign aimed to make local young people aware of various financial schemes and products for establishing/expanding business units/companies.
During the campaign period, the banks were able to set up around 6,600 counters/camps. Camps were held in all districts of Jammu and Kashmir, including the backward areas of Doda, Rajouri, Reasi, Poonch, Kathua, Kupwara, Shopian, Bandipora, Kulgam and Anantnag.
Through these camps, approximately 60,000 loan cases were obtained by banks under various schemes (Indigenous/Government sponsored) culminating in providing employment to approximately 75,000 beneficiaries.
In both campaigns, beneficiaries have been able to set up business ventures, largely in the following segments:
- production
- Services
- Retail and wholesale
- Transport
- Related agricultural sectors (such as poultry, dairy farming, animal husbandry, fishing, etc.)
- Agriculture infrastructure
Recognizing its role for the upliftment of various socio-economic sectors of the UT of J&K and meeting the expectations of the government of Jammu and Kashmir, the J&K Bank has been the major contributor in providing credit to unemployed youth including women during the campaign period. The J&K Bank organized the setting up of 2,627 counters/camps in the backward districts of Doda, Rajouri, Poonch, Udhampur, Bandipore, Kupwara and Kulgam.
A look at the leading districts in terms of persons benefited during the campaign period. Pulwama has made a new history by providing 7,324 young people with opportunities to become entrepreneurs.
In addition, to empower and encourage women, a remarkable number of women entrepreneurs were reached during the campaign period, accounting for about 15% of the total number of beneficiaries. Key activities for women beneficiaries included:
- Crafts
- Retail
- Craft activities such as crewel/embroidery, etc.
- Allied agricultural activities
- Automated desktop publishing
- Internet cafe
- Beauty salon
- Boutique / customization
- educational institution
- Production & services
“I commend the hard work of all our young people who have contributed to building a new Jammu Kashmir. Administration will ensure that ambitions, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of every young person are realized and they become empowered. We have been firm in our decision to provide youth self-employment opportunities and last year under PMEGP Jammu and Kashmir was ranked as the top performer in the country for setting up maximum units and generating maximum employment,” said Sinha .
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