Lawmaker Questions Mission YUVA Hiring Policy, Seeks Wider Access for Jammu Kashmir Universities | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: A lawmaker has questioned the recruitment policy under Mission YUVA in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that the programme restricts high-paying consultant positions to graduates of only two institutions, IIM Jammu and IIT Jammu, while excluding candidates from other universities in the Union Territory.

In a post on social media platform X, the legislator asked why the recruitment process for Mission YUVA positions had been limited to the two institutions and called for opening the selection to universities across Jammu and Kashmir.

Why are people under Mission YUWA being hired only from IIM/IIT Jammu? Why restrict opportunities to just two institutions? Why not open it to all universities across J&K, Jammu University, Kashmir University, IUST, BGSBU, MVSDU and others, and select the best on merit? With… pic.twitter.com/ymC7uhlwjV

— Waheed Ur Rehman Para (@parawahid) March 6, 2026

“Why are people under Mission YUWA being hired only from IIM/IIT Jammu? Why restrict opportunities to just two institutions?” Waheed Parra of PDP wrote. He suggested that graduates from universities such as Jammu University, Kashmir University, Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University (BGSBU) and others should also be allowed to compete.

The lawmaker further argued that if merit was the guiding principle, the recruitment process should either be opened to all universities within Jammu and Kashmir or extended to graduates of IIMs and IITs across the country. “With such high salary packages for selective institutions, why deprive our own JK students and universities when both IIT and IIM Jammu have about 98 per cent students from outside JK?” the post stated, while tagging the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to recruitment details issued for Mission YUVA, the Directorate of Employment proposes to engage full-time individual consultants for the programme’s Project Management Unit (PMU) at the Union Territory and divisional levels. Most managerial positions require MBA graduates from IIM Jammu, while technical roles require B.Tech graduates from IIT Jammu.

The proposed structure includes a Chief Manager (PMU Team Lead) with a remuneration of Rs 3 lakh per month, requiring an MBA graduate of IIM Jammu with three years of managerial experience before joining the institute. Several other positions, including managers for ecosystem creation, enterprise development, finance, skill development, market linkage, and review and monitoring, carry a monthly remuneration of Rs 2.5 lakh and require MBA graduates from IIM Jammu with at least one year of experience.

Technical roles such as Manager (IT), five positions, are reserved for B.Tech graduates from IIT Jammu, preferably in computer science or electrical engineering, with a monthly remuneration of Rs 1.5 lakh.

The recruitment plan also includes divisional-level positions for both Jammu and Kashmir divisions, including Divisional Manager YUVA (Rs 2.5 lakh per month) and Assistant Divisional Managers in areas such as ecosystem creation, enterprise development, finance, skill development and market linkage, each with a remuneration of Rs 2 lakh per month. These posts also require MBA graduates from IIM Jammu.

The selection process outlined in the proposal involves invitation of applications from graduates of IIM Jammu and IIT Jammu, followed by group discussions to assess candidates’ understanding of entrepreneurship, MSMEs, credit enablement, skilling frameworks and public programme implementation. Candidates shortlisted from the group discussions will then appear for structured interviews before a selection committee.

The committee will be chaired by the Director of IIM Jammu and include the Director of Employment, Special Secretary of the Labour and Employment Department, Director Finance, two professors nominated by IIM Jammu, one professor nominated by Jammu or Kashmir University, and experts from NABARD and JK Bank.

The committee is tasked with scrutinising applications, conducting interviews and recommending candidates in order of merit for engagement under Mission YUVA.