Two Jammu Kashmir MPs Raise Demand for Special Employment Package; Centre Cited Entrepreneurship Schemes | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: Two Members of Parliament from the Rajya Sabha raised concerns over employment in Jammu and Kashmir, with one seeking a special employment package for the Union Territory and another asking about youth employment indicators and job creation measures.

Responding to the questions, the Ministry of Labour and Employment said the government is focusing on employment generation, entrepreneurship promotion and skill development through multiple national and local schemes rather than announcing a separate employment package for the region.

In a question, Rajya Sabha member Chowdry Mohammad Ramzan asked whether the government planned to sanction a special employment package for Jammu and Kashmir on the lines of the 2002–2005 scheme to address rising unemployment among educated youth and create sustainable job opportunities. In response, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said employment generation and improving employability remain priorities for the government and several schemes are being implemented across the country to create job opportunities.

In a separate question, Rajya Sabha member Sat Paul Sharma sought details about youth employment indicators in Jammu and Kashmir, the number of jobs generated in the Union Territory under various schemes over the last five years and measures being taken to strengthen employment generation and livelihood opportunities, particularly in border and hilly districts.

The government informed Parliament that, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the unemployment rate among youth aged 15–29 years in Jammu and Kashmir declined from 18.3 per cent in 2019–20 to 17.4 per cent in 2023–24. During the same period, the Worker Population Ratio for youth in the Union Territory increased from 34.7 per cent to 40.2 per cent, indicating a rise in employment participation.

The ministry said the Jammu and Kashmir government is implementing several initiatives aimed at promoting entrepreneurship and self-employment among youth. These include the Jammu and Kashmir Self Employment Schemes, which provide financial assistance, bank credit and subsidies to unemployed youth to establish income-generating units.

Employment opportunities are also being created through various Mission Youth initiatives such as Mumkin, Tejaswini, Parvaaz, the Spurring Entrepreneurship Initiative and the Tourist Village Development Programme.

The government highlighted the flagship Mission YUVA initiative launched by the Labour and Employment Department of Jammu and Kashmir to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment. The programme aims to create about 4.25 lakh employment opportunities over the next five years by supporting start-ups, small enterprises and innovative livelihood ventures. Officials said around Rs 900 crore has already been disbursed among beneficiaries within eight months of the programme’s launch.

At the national level, the government said employment generation is also being supported through the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, an Employment Linked Incentive scheme with an outlay of Rs 99,446 crore. The scheme aims to incentivise the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs across sectors, particularly in manufacturing, over a period of two years.

The ministry also pointed to skill development initiatives under the Skill India Mission, including the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana, Jan Shikshan Sansthan network, National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme and training programmes through Industrial Training Institutes.

Officials said these programmes aim to equip youth with industry-relevant skills and improve their employment prospects. The National Career Service portal is also being used to connect job seekers with employers by providing information on job opportunities, job fairs, career counselling and training programmes through an online platform.

The government added that tourism-related infrastructure development has also contributed to employment generation in Jammu and Kashmir. Under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, six projects worth Rs 519.58 crore were sanctioned in the Union Territory under the Himalayan Circuit and have now been physically completed. The scheme has since been revamped as Swadesh Darshan 2.0, focusing on sustainable tourism destinations to support local economic activity and employment.