Srinagar, June 28: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today launched the ambitious Mission YUVA (Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan) at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC), unveiling a visionary initiative aimed at fostering entrepreneurship across Jammu and Kashmir. The programme targets the creation of 1.37 lakh enterprises and 4.25 lakh jobs over the next five years.
Describing Mission YUVA as a transformative step toward youth empowerment, the Chief Minister emphasized the importance of nurturing an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and skill development.
“I promise the youth of Jammu and Kashmir that I will do everything possible to help you reach new heights, so you can shape not only your own destiny, but that of this region,” he said, addressing a large gathering of officials, dignitaries, and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Reflecting on previous efforts, Abdullah acknowledged the contributions of earlier governments while stressing the importance of building upon lessons learned.
“It’s not that past schemes failed, some worked well, others less so. The aim is to keep improving. I remember the work we did with the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) under the SKEWPY scheme during my last tenure. Many of those entrepreneurs are still running successful businesses today,” he noted.
Taking a swipe at subsequent governments, he said, “Unfortunately, the government that came after us was more interested in changing the name of the scheme than continuing its vision. Let me be clear—Mission YUVA should belong to the youth, not to any political party or leader, including me.”
He underscored that the initiative is rooted in extensive groundwork, including field surveys and baseline data collection, not decisions made “behind closed doors.” A publication released at the event revealed that over one crore people were surveyed—an exercise on the scale of a census.
“The data generated will help shape not just youth policies but will be useful across departments—from social welfare and education to health. Mission YUVA is expected to create over 1.5 lakh entrepreneurs and more than 4 lakh jobs, with over 30% of beneficiaries being women,” he said.
The Chief Minister acknowledged that access to finance remains the biggest hurdle for young entrepreneurs. “Even a strong business idea won’t go far without funding. Often, youth lack the skills to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR), which is key to securing a bank loan. Under Mission YUVA, we are removing that hurdle too, by using Artificial Intelligence to generate bank-ready DPRs,” he explained.
He added that the initiative also focuses on market linkages to ensure that innovative ideas can be successfully converted into viable businesses.
“Your idea must reach the market to survive and thrive. That’s why we’re creating an ecosystem of support beyond just funding,” the Chief Minister noted, lauding the humility and dedication of the team that conceptualised the programme.
The event was attended by Ministers Sakeena Itoo, Javed Rana, and Satish Sharma; Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani; Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo; Additional Chief Secretary to the CM Dheeraj Gupta; MD & CEO J&K Bank Amitabh Chatterjee; several MLAs, divisional and district officers, and representatives from business and industry. A large number of young entrepreneurs from across the UT were also present.
