JAMMU: A delegation of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Jammu Chapter, led by Chairman Rahul Sahai, met Harvinder Singh, IAS, who recently assumed charge as Director Employment J&K and Director Mission YUVA, to discuss ways to strengthen enterprise mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for youth in Jammu & Kashmir.
The delegation included Anil Sharma, Ashish Jain and Zeeshan Azad. During the interaction, Harvinder Singh emphasized the need for reputed trade and industry bodies to support youth approaching Mission YUVA by providing 10-day enterprise mentorship programmes. He said established businesses, particularly in sectors such as food, kirana, apparel and retail, can play a crucial role in guiding aspiring young entrepreneurs.
He noted that such collaboration would help build a strong student–enterprise connect, ensuring proper mentoring and practical exposure for unemployed youth. Singh further informed that enterprises participating in mentorship and hand-holding initiatives will receive financial support from the department on a batch basis under an existing scheme.
To make the programme more inclusive, the department is also considering relaxing certain norms, including removing the requirement of enterprise registration for participation in apprenticeship, which would allow more businesses to contribute.
Harvinder Singh said that many youth approaching the department express interest in starting ventures such as kirana shops, clothing showrooms and food outlets, and businesses already operating in these sectors can provide valuable real-time guidance and mentorship.
He also revealed that Mission YUVA will soon collaborate with Mission Skilling, enabling the manufacturing sector to participate actively in training and employing youth under various government initiatives.
The Director further shared plans to organize a convention bringing together enterprises, trade associations, students and government stakeholders to discuss employment generation and skill development. He explained that once a student identifies a sector of interest, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) is prepared, after which chartered accountants and industry mentors provide guidance, followed by continued support from trained departmental mentors.
Speaking on the occasion, ICC Jammu Chapter Chairman Rahul Sahai congratulated Harvinder Singh on assuming charge as Director Employment and Mission YUVA and appreciated his proactive approach. He said the Indian Chamber of Commerce is willing to collaborate with the department in initiatives aimed at promoting employment and entrepreneurship in Jammu & Kashmir.
Sahai reiterated ICC’s commitment to supporting the J&K government’s efforts in youth empowerment and entrepreneurship development, expressing confidence that the scheme would yield significant results if implemented effectively.
He also appreciated the initiative of the Director Employment in engaging with trade and industry bodies to ensure aspiring entrepreneurs gain real-time industry experience and mentorship. Sahai further said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, initiatives such as Mission YUVA are gaining momentum across the country.
He added that during the tenure of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, significant progress has been made in youth-focused employment schemes in J&K, and the efforts are being further strengthened under Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to enhance collaboration between government, industry and youth to create sustainable employment and entrepreneurship opportunities across the Union Territory.
