Jammu, Feb 11: Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary today said that addressing unemployment remains a top priority of Jammu and Kashmir government and focus is on creating sustainable livelihoods through entrepreneurship, skilling and institutional reforms so that youth become job-creators rather than job-seekers.

The Deputy Chief Minister was replying to a question raised by Legislator Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi in the Legislative Assembly.
He said that over 1.71 lakh youth have registered on the Mission YUVA platform, leading to around 70K formal enterprise applications that clearly reflects growing confidence in the programme.
He added that the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for nearly 52,875 candidates have been professionally prepared through Small Business Development Units (SBDUs), ensuring technical and financial viability.
The Deputy CM added that as on date, 16,141 applications have been successfully completed, resulting in bank sanctions of nearly ₹1,000 crore, with over ₹700 crore already disbursed. He further said that these figures translate into thousands of enterprises being established on the ground, supported by structured capacity-building, where 7,339 entrepreneurs have completed training and another 5,000 are currently undergoing training.
The Deputy CM said that as per the extensive survey conducted during the month of January 2025, 4.73 lakh individuals in the age group of 18-60 out of total 64.8 lakh individuals surveyed, have reported ‘not working but willing to work’. This included 1.79 lakh in Jammu division and 2.94 lakh individuals in Kashmir division.
The Deputy Chief Minister further stated that from the remaining 37,000 applications currently with the banks, about 15,000 cases are at an advanced stage, pending completion of procedural documentation and will be sanctioned by 31st March 2026. Besides, around 22,000 applications are assessed to be credit-worthy and are expected to be sanctioned progressively over the next 3–4 months, which clearly indicates a strong and moving pipeline, rather than stagnation.
He said that the Mission YUVA is not a subsidy-driven or indiscriminate loan distribution scheme but a rigorous, transparent and credibility-based entrepreneurship programme. He added that the multi-stage scrutiny ensures that while every genuine aspirant is given opportunity, only financially viable and sustainable enterprises receive bank finance, protecting both the public resources and the future of young entrepreneurs.
The supplementary was raised by Legislator Mir Saifullah.