World Entrepreneurship Day: CUK holds prog on ‘Idea Pitching, Business Plan Competition’

Ganderbal, Aug 21: The School of Business Studies (SBS), Central University of Kashmir (CUK) today celebrated the “World Entrepreneurship Day,” by organising an event “Idea Pitching, Business Plan Competition and Expert Panel Discussion,” wherein the students interacted with the owners of successful business ventures of the Valley.
Dean SBS, Prof. Fayaz Ahmad Nikka, Head Department of Management Studies, Prof. Abdul Gani, Head Department of Commerce, Dr. Mehraj ud Din Shah, CEO, FastBeetle, Mr. Sheikh Samiullah, founder, e-fruit mandi, Mr. Ubair Shah, Coordinator Deptt of Tourism Studies, Dr. Ashaq Hussain Najar, faculty members and students were present on the occasion.
Addressing the participants, Prof. Fayaz Ahmad Nikka, said, the promotion of entrepreneurship has been a priority for the Government of India. “The Union government has launched Startup India, Atal Innovation Mission, Make in India, Skill Development Programmes and other allied schemed to create an ecosystem that supports startups and entrepreneurs,” he said, adding these initiatives collectively aim to create a conducive environment for entrepreneurship, promote innovation, and drive the economic growth in India. Prof. Nikka said the objective of organising such programmes is to sensitise the students about the challenges and difficulties faced by the successful business venture owners and the ways and means to tackle them.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Abdul Gani said, the day is to celebrate those who have achieved success in their business ventures through persistent hard work, dedication and commitment. “These successful individuals not only change their lives, but also become a role model for others who intend to take up entrepreneurship as their career,” Prof. Gani said. He said the primary objective of organising such events is to inculcate entrepreneurial temper among the students and orient their mind to take up the challenges associated with the start-ups. Prof Gani said the day emphasises the importance of creativity, resilience and determination in the entrepreneurial journey.
In his speech, Dr. Mehraj ud Din Shah, said, the university is continuously organising such programmes to promote entrepreneurship among the students, as the Jammu and Kashmir, is at lowest, vis-à-vis the entrepreneurship culture. He said, there are certain bottlenecks in establishing the business ventures in the valley, but the students have to convert the challenges into the opportunities in order to carve out a niche for themselves and contribute towards the job creation.
Both Mr. Sheikh Samiullah, and Mr. Ubair Shah, shared their personal experiences about their ventures and asked the students to take up entrepreneurship with a passion and zeal. They asked the students not to get cowed down by the failures and work with utmost dedication to realize their dreams.
Coordinator Deptt of Tourism Studies, Dr. Ashaq Hussain Najar conducted the programme while Asst Prof. DTS, Dr. Abid Suhail proposed the vote of thanks.
In the business plan competition, Ms Zeenat bagged the first prize and Mr Sajid and Ms Bushra bagged the second prize.