Govt committed to empower youth: Dy CM

Jammu, Sep 27: In a landmark initiative to empower the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, a Mega Job Fair was organized Saturday under the Mission YUVA at the Convention Centre, Jammu by Employment Department J&K.
The event was inaugurated by the Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary which witnessed enthusiastic participation from all stakeholders including job seekers, employers, government officials, and academic institutions.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister encouraged the youth to fully utilize the opportunities offered under Mission YUVA. “This is not merely a scheme, it is a transformative movement aimed at building a self-reliant and empowered generation,” he remarked.
He reiterated that the government under the leadership of CM Omar Abdullah is committed to open new avenues for the unemployment educated youths and enhanced job opportunities for them.
Surinder Choudhary maintained that this Mega Job Fair under Mission YUVA stands as a milestone in the government’s continued efforts to equip the youth of Jammu & Kashmir with the tools, resources, and opportunities necessary to succeed in a rapidly evolving socio-economic landscape.
Deputy Chief Minister said that Mission YUVA is a flagship and first-of-its-kind initiative of the J&K government, envisioned to holistically empower the youths by providing a robust ecosystem for employment, entrepreneurship, and skill development.
He added that it offers strong institutional support and financial assistance under credit-linked schemes to support new and existing enterprises, capacity building for entrepreneurial and employability skills, career counseling, guidance, market linkage, etc.
The Job Fair attracted an overwhelming response with over 2,200 job seekers in attendance and more than 55 prominent companies participating, collectively offering 1,500+ vacancies across various sectors such as IT, manufacturing, finance, retail, and healthcare. The fair served as a dynamic platform for employment generation, bridging the gap between skilled youth and potential employers.
A major highlight of the event was the inauguration of the three major Platforms on Mission YUVA app and Portal by the Deputy Chief Minister viz Online Job Matching Platform, enabling the job search and recruitment process through real-time interaction between employers and job seekers, Enterprise Mentorship Initiative providing mentorship to budding entrepreneurs and ONDC- based E-commerce platform enabling enterprises to showcase and sell their goods online across wider markets.
Nearly 83 Employers, 17 job posts and 631 applications submitted on Online Job Matching Platform and about 228 Enterprises applied for mentorship under Enterprise Mentorship Initiative till date.
The event also marked a significant step toward entrepreneurship promotion in the region, with sanction letters handed over to 55 young entrepreneurs under Mission YUVA’s credit-linked schemes. These beneficiaries will be establishing ventures under the Nano Enterprises and Business Acceleration of Existing Enterprises categories, transforming their ideas into sustainable businesses with financial and institutional support.
The occasion also saw the culmination of the YUVA UDHYAM FEST, a celebration of youth potential through various competitions such as speech, essay writing, painting, and quiz. Twenty-four outstanding youth were felicitated by the Deputy Chief Minister with cash prizes and certificates in recognition of their talent and creativity. A total of 264 students were declared winners in the FEST throughout the UT.
At the outset, Shahzad Alam, Director Employment and Managing Director of Mission YUVA, in his welcome address, provided an insightful overview of the various components and the vision behind the initiative. The program concluded with a vote of thanks by Paramjeet Singh Joint Director Employment, Jammu.