JAMMU: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo today chaired a meeting to review the district-wise performance of Mission YUVA across Jammu and Kashmir, assessing progress on key parameters of Culture, Capital, Capacity and Connectivity aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and employment generation among the youth.
The meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism; Vice Chancellors of Universities; Director, IIM Jammu; Commissioner Secretary, Planning; Secretary, Labour & Employment; DG, Codes; Managing Director, JKRLM; Director, Employment; Director, Colleges; Convenor, UTLBC and other concerned officers.
Deputy Commissioners participated in the meeting through video conferencing from their respective districts.
The meeting reviewed the status of awareness initiatives under Udyam Jagriti 4.0, establishment of institutional mechanisms including Project Management Units (PMUs), Small Business Development Units (SBDUs), Business Help Desks (BHDs) and engagement of Motivators and Yuva Doots. Progress regarding application processing, loan sanctioning, enterprise incubation and ecosystem development under the Mission was also assessed.
Taking note of the progress achieved so far, the Chief Secretary impressed upon the Deputy Commissioners to take earnest steps towards completing the institutional framework in their districts. He directed them to ensure that SBDUs and BHDs become fully functional at the earliest and that Motivators and Yuva Doots are onboarded in a time-bound manner to ensure effective implementation of the Mission across the Union Territory.
Emphasising the need to expand outreach, the Chief Secretary asked the concerned departments to further intensify Udyam Jagriti initiatives in colleges and among Self Help Groups (SHGs). He stressed that aspiring entrepreneurs should receive proper mentoring, counselling and handholding support so that they are able to translate their ideas into viable enterprises.
Reviewing the role of financial institutions in supporting the Mission, the Chief Secretary observed that loan sanctions amounting to around Rs 1,200 crore and disbursements of nearly Rs 964 crore indicate encouraging progress. However, he advised the banks to maintain a steady pace of 150–200 loan disbursements per day so that legacy pendencies are cleared and annual targets under the Mission are achieved in a timely manner.
He also emphasised the importance of periodic review and output tracking of enterprises established through these loans, so that their progress is closely monitored and necessary guidance is provided to ensure the sustainability and success of these ventures.
The Chief Secretary further underscored the need to address gaps identified in incubation centres established in higher educational institutions. He asked the concerned department to share the detailed assessment criteria used for evaluating these institutions so that corrective measures can be taken to strengthen the incubation ecosystem and ensure optimal utilisation of the facilities.
Additionally, he advised the Deputy Commissioners to encourage local businesses and enterprises to onboard themselves on the ONDC seller platform, enabling them to expand market access, promote their products and strengthen their businesses through digital commerce.
Earlier, Secretary, Labour & Employment, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, in his detailed presentation, highlighted the district-wise status of Mission YUVA implementation across Jammu and Kashmir. He apprised the meeting of the progress achieved under the four pillars of Culture, Capital, Capacity and Connectivity, while also identifying areas requiring greater focus by the respective districts.
He also outlined the gaps observed in incubation centres established in higher educational institutions, particularly in terms of governance structure, start-up success, infrastructure, networking and funding patterns, while highlighting the strengths and best-performing institutions.
Further, he demonstrated the weak-performing blocks and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in certain districts where greater efforts are required in capacity building of applicants to enable them to effectively utilise bank credit and establish sustainable enterprises.
The Chief Secretary was informed by Director, Employment, Harvinder Singh, that the ongoing Udyam Jagriti 4.0 awareness campaign has achieved substantial outreach across the Union Territory, covering 95 percent of Panchayats and reaching 2,51,352 individuals so far. He added that the Mission YUVA mobile application has recorded 2,20,928 downloads, reflecting a 47 percent increase during the last one month.
The meeting was further informed that the campaign’s focused outreach initiatives have yielded encouraging results. Around 47,672 students have been covered through college-level engagements, while 1,97,400 women associated with Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been reached through targeted awareness programmes.
These efforts have resulted in 1,937 SHG credit applications and facilitated handholding support to 6,281 sanctioned applicants, registering significant growth over the previous month.
Regarding institutional strengthening, the meeting was apprised that 187 posts have been filled out of 367 sanctioned positions under SBDU/BHD recruitment, while 180 posts remain vacant. Officials informed that 28 percent of these posts have been filled since the last Apex Committee meeting, increasing the number from 90 to 187.
Similarly, under Motivator empanelment, 582 motivators have been empanelled out of 1,000 sanctioned positions, including 65 Lakhpati Didis, while 418 positions are yet to be filled.
It was also informed that 13 out of 20 districts have completed the establishment of SBDU centres, while the remaining centres in Jammu, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Reasi, Samba, Udhampur and Anantnag are at various stages of completion. All 20 SBDU centres are expected to become operational by March 20, 2026.
The meeting was further informed that Mission YUVA has recorded steady growth in registrations, applications and loan disbursements over the past months. As of March 6, 2026, the number of registrations has reached 1,83,306, while 72,037 applications have been received under the scheme.
Out of these, 56,167 applications have been verified by SBDUs, while 50,743 have been approved by District Level Implementation Committees (DLICs). Banks have sanctioned 18,093 loans, out of which 15,192 loans have been disbursed, resulting in the establishment of 3,187 enterprises, with 2,053 more currently under implementation.
The meeting was also informed that applications for neo-innovative enterprises have witnessed significant growth, increasing from 119 on January 19, 2026 to 364 by February 4, 2026, marking nearly a threefold increase within a short span.
Under the Mission’s five-year incubation target of 500 innovative enterprises, all 14 incubation centres have been onboarded, while 80 percent of these centres have already conducted InnovateX 1.0 awareness events. In addition, three evaluation committees have been empanelled for the Innovation and Sustainability Challenge.
Out of the 364 applications received, 86 have been shortlisted by the expert panel, while 30 applications have progressed to the final selection stage. The Selection Committee is expected to finalise the ventures for incubation by March 25, 2026.
While reviewing the overall progress, the Chief Secretary emphasised that Mission YUVA is a transformative initiative aimed at fostering entrepreneurship, generating employment opportunities and building a vibrant start-up ecosystem for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. He called upon all stakeholders to work in close coordination to achieve the objectives of the Mission in a time-bound manner.
