One of the youngest populations in India is found in Jammu & Kashmir, with nearly 65 percent of the population being less than 35 years of age. While this is a great opportunity for growth, it however also becomes an obligation for the successive governments to provide educational, employment, financial support and independent income-generation options to young people. In recent times, getting government jobs has been the most sought-after route for a majority of the population. But, with very few opportunities in government jobs and more educated young people coming into the workforce, this can no longer be enough to solve the problem of unemployment- Youth unemployment, as high as 32 percent as of November 2024, is a reflection of this.
Considering this ground reality, the administration has come up with certain programs that encourage youth entrepreneurship and employability, among others. The concept here is the creation of such an atmosphere where the youth are not just made job-ready, but they are motivated and assisted in creating opportunities for themselves and others.
Mission Youth is one of the primary platforms that work on this concept, as it includes livelihood creation, skill building, sports, youth clubs and community participation under its umbrella. Having more than 15 schemes under its ambit, Mission Youth attempts to bring the youth into contact with opportunities that would help them improve their economic and social status. Its network of youth clubs, which covered approximately 4,500 clubs by 2021, has even helped in creating awareness about government schemes and programs among youth especially in rural and remote areas.
Here, volunteers have been trained to guide others regarding different schemes and opportunities. One of the notable schemes launched by Mission Youth is the Tejaswini scheme. The scheme caters to women aged between 18 and 35 years who want to start small enterprises. The scheme allows access to Mudra loans up to ₹5 lakh from J&K Bank along with the front-end subsidy of ₹50,000 or 10% of the project cost, whichever is less, and an interest subsidy of up to ₹60,000. The idea behind this scheme is to make sure that the burden of finances on women who have business ideas but lack the means to implement them is reduced.
In a similar way, the Mumkin scheme has been developed in order to help young people in establishing themselves in the transport sector. As per this scheme, the contribution of ₹80,000 or 10% of the on-road price of the vehicle, whichever is less, is made by Mission Youth, while the equivalent amount is contributed by the manufacturer. This helps young people reduce the burden of money required to start a venture in the transport sector. They can be tourism establishments, training institutions, and recreation establishments. Under this scheme, the provision of project funding is up to ₹20 lakh in order to encourage collective enterprises by motivating young people to join hands and work collectively for economic development. Of late, some initiatives have been launched in this regard, such as Mission YUVA, which stands for Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan.
This initiative plans to develop 1.37 lakh enterprises to create employment for about 4.25 lakh unemployed young people. Not only does it provide financial support, but it also emphasizes on business development, innovation, and banking facilities. With the help of its online portal and programs like Roz-e-YUVA in Kashmir and Udyami YUVA Day in Jammu, youth aspirants are linked with financing organizations and other supporting structures. The innovation centers of IIM Jammu and incubators in various universities are also meant to motivate youth having innovative ideas, with support from the government of up to ₹20 lakh in case of eligible projects.
As per data till January 2026, Mission YUVA has covered almost 95 percent of panchayats and has sanctioned loans amounting to ₹847 crore for 14,887 youth entrepreneurs. J&K Bank has made a huge contribution in this regard by linking youth with financial assistance and facilitating the sanctioning of loans. These types of efforts are very much needed as entrepreneurship does not depend only on ideas but also on capital, right guidance, market information and institutional support. With the help of these factors, Mission YUVA wants to make such an environment where youth can set up business ventures and earn and ultimately provide employment to others.
Entrepreneurship is not the only way out of unemployment. There are quite a few youth who aspire to salaried jobs, and their dreams too need to be kept in mind. This is where the importance of vocational skill development programs comes into the picture. Himayat, which is a part of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana of the Ministry of Rural Development, provides free vocational training to youth, usually for a period of at least three months.
It is aimed at linking skilled individuals with job prospects and ensuring proper after placement assistance. Likewise, Udaan, which is a program by the Ministry of Home Affairs, with the National Skill Development Corporation, has concentrated on linking degree and diploma holders from Jammu & Kashmir with firms in fields like information technology, banking, retail, and hospitality. These initiatives understand the fact that education by itself may not be sufficient for the requisite skills demanded by employers. Through industry-oriented training, professional exposure, and job placements, such programmes can ensure that young graduates become competent in the job market.
However, the success of these programmes will depend on the quality of training provided, the relevance of course offerings, and whether there is any actual employment available post-completion of the programme. Even with promising aims and investments, these programmes still face problems in implementation. While the statistics provided by the government and the statements made by authorities can create an impression of success, what matters just as much is the experience of an ordinary applicant.
A report by the Comptroller and Auditor General found major shortcomings in implementing the Himayat scheme, with 4,494 people having been trained when 53,547 was the target. There have been similar problems in implementing the Mission YUVA programme, where considerable variations exist in the implementation of the project from one district to another. A review carried out in 2025 found that whereas Kulgam and Srinagar are performing better than their targets, Budgam had verified only 20% of applications, and Kathua 36%. These distinctions raise serious concerns regarding the efficiency of administration, surveillance, and timely distribution of benefits. Many of them come from poor backgrounds and do not have the luxury of waiting forever.
The complicated procedure, lack of awareness, and problems in approaching the banks could also hamper the chances of deserving applicants enjoying the benefits of the schemes. It is therefore necessary that the concerned authorities make sure that the process is not just effective but also time-bound. There is no scarcity of young individuals with ideas and zeal to work in Jammu and Kashmir.
A higher level of awareness, constant supervision, district-level accountability, and monetary support are all necessary to guarantee that the interventions have reached those who they need to reach. Equally necessary is to promote among the young generation an entrepreneurial spirit, freelancing work, involvement in technologies, tourism, agriculture, and other rising sectors, instead of sticking to traditional employment.
A young girl building her business, young rural entrepreneurs creating a tourism project, or a young graduate finding a decent job- all of these are what the interventions should bring about. The aim of the interventions shouldn’t be the rise in the number of applications or declarations of financial support; instead, it should be equal access for each and every deserving young individual. The future of Jammu and Kashmir depends greatly on the support of its young generation.