Srinagar: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday reviewed the implementation roadmap of the proposed Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP), an ambitious initiative aimed at creating a unified digital ecosystem for youth engagement, counselling, skill development and career support across Jammu and Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by senior officers from various departments, including Planning Development and Monitoring, Home, School Education, Higher Education, Youth Services and Sports, Rural Development and Skill Development.
Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners also joined the meeting through video conferencing.
During the presentation, the chief secretary reviewed the YEP portal currently under development and assessed the range of services proposed to be offered to registered youth through the platform.
He appreciated the initiative for creating what officials described as the first integrated and interactive digital platform dedicated to youth empowerment in the Union Territory.
Commissioner Secretary Planning Development and Monitoring R Alice Vaz informed the meeting that the platform aims to connect youth with career opportunities, counselling, skill development, government schemes and participatory governance mechanisms.
She said the programme is intended to cover youth in the 15-35 age group across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir through convergence of schemes and services of more than 18 departments.
Nodal Officer Owais Ahmad informed the meeting that registered youth would receive tailored recommendations of government schemes, programmes and career pathways based on psychometric assessment tests mapping their aptitude, interests and aspirations.
The meeting was told that the programme would also encourage youth participation in social service campaigns and community initiatives including the Nasha Mukt Jammu and Kashmir Abhiyan.
Officials further informed that the platform would feature an AI-enabled multilingual chatbot named YEP Assistant to provide counselling, mentoring and guidance regarding schemes, career opportunities and wellbeing support.
The meeting was also informed that API integration with multiple government schemes has already been incorporated into the portal, allowing eligible youth to apply directly for services without separate registrations on departmental portals.
A dedicated mobile application for Android and iOS platforms is also being developed with offline functionality to facilitate access in remote areas.
The immediate roadmap includes security audits, OTP integration, onboarding of departments and districts, formation of a Programme Management Unit and capacity building of stakeholders before phased rollout of remaining modules.
Future phases of the programme would include DigiLocker integration, advanced analytics and AI-driven enhancements.
Officials said the Youth Empowerment Programme aims to create a unified and technology-driven framework for youth development under the vision of “One Platform, One Generation, One State” for Jammu and Kashmir youth.
