Srinagar, May 18: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a high-level Apex Committee meeting to review the progress of Mission YUVA, an initiative aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, generating employment, and building a sustainable livelihood ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by senior officers from key departments including Finance, School Education, Labour & Employment, Rural Development, Employment, and representatives from J&K Bank, financial institutions, district administrations, and other stakeholders involved in the implementation of the mission.
During the review, the Chief Secretary assessed performance under the four foundational pillars of Mission YUVA—Culture, Capital, Capacity, and Connectivity—and took stock of district-wise achievements, institutional readiness, credit facilitation, and existing bottlenecks. He called for coordinated and time-bound efforts from all departments and financial institutions to ensure smooth implementation and timely delivery of benefits.
He directed district administrations, SBDUs, and banks to expedite clearance of pending applications and strictly adhere to prescribed timelines for verification, approval by District Level Implementation Committees (DLICs), and loan sanctioning. He emphasized that efficiency at every stage is essential to sustain the momentum of the programme.
The Chief Secretary also reviewed capacity-building initiatives under the mission and was informed that over 21,000 beneficiaries have completed hybrid entrepreneurship training. More than 300 training centres and 200 trainers have been activated across the Union Territory, with further collaboration planned with JKEDI to strengthen entrepreneurial and management training.
He underscored the need for outcome-based monitoring and instructed Deputy Commissioners to focus on improving conversion rates of applications into viable enterprises, strengthening training outcomes, and ensuring better market linkages for sustainability of ventures.
Secretary, Labour & Employment, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, informed the meeting that Mission YUVA is designed to create employment through nano enterprises, new MSMEs, and expansion of existing units, supported by awareness, credit, capacity building, and market linkage interventions.
It was informed that over 1.07 lakh applications have been received so far, with more than 57,000 approved by DLICs. Banks have sanctioned loans in over 25,000 cases involving credit support exceeding ₹1,200 crore, while disbursement of around ₹1,119 crore has been completed in over 21,000 cases.
The meeting was further informed that Mission YUVA has set a target of establishing 50,000 enterprises during 2026–27, including 44,000 nano enterprises, 4,000 new MSMEs, and 2,000 units for expansion. District-wise targets and performance indicators were also reviewed in detail.
On the awareness front, officials informed that the Udyam Jagriti 4.0 campaign reached nearly 3.4 lakh citizens, while over 5.3 lakh individuals have been covered cumulatively through outreach activities. The campaign has engaged students, self-help groups, trainees, and MSME stakeholders across the Union Territory, along with more than 2.5 lakh app downloads.
Director Employment Harvinder Singh informed that Udyam Jagriti 5.0 will focus on targeted mobilisation of students, SHG members, trained youth, and MSMEs, with special emphasis on converting awareness into enterprise creation. He also outlined plans for hackathons, entrepreneurship competitions, innovation support systems, and facilitation camps at institutional and panchayat levels.
The meeting was further informed about progress under the Institutional Business Support Mechanism (IBSM), with over 900 motivators and more than 100 SBDU personnel engaged across districts to support aspiring entrepreneurs.
On digital and market linkage initiatives, it was informed that local products are being onboarded on the Mission YUVA Seller App and ONDC-linked platforms to improve market access for entrepreneurs. District dashboards have also been operationalised to strengthen monitoring and performance tracking.
The Chief Secretary reiterated that Mission YUVA must evolve into a robust entrepreneurship ecosystem rather than remain a financial assistance programme, calling for sustained institutional coordination, mentorship support, and efficient delivery mechanisms across all districts.