The disbursement of credit to more than 3,100 aspiring entrepreneurs under Mission YUVA is an encouraging development in Jammu and Kashmir’s long struggle with unemployment. More importantly, it signals a welcome shift in the government’s approach, from merely talking about jobs to creating an ecosystem where young people can become job creators.
The partnership between the J&K Government and J&K Bank deserves appreciation. A government programme cannot succeed merely by announcing targets, and a bank cannot create entrepreneurs simply by sanctioning loans. It is the combination of policy, finance, handholding and monitoring that can turn an idea into a sustainable enterprise.
But the real test begins after the cheque is disbursed. For thousands of young people entering entrepreneurship, access to credit is only the first hurdle. Many will need mentoring, market access, technical guidance, digital support, help with registrations and, above all, a market in which their products and services can survive. A young entrepreneur who receives a loan but struggles to sell his product, repay the instalment or navigate government procedures can quickly find himself trapped in debt rather than empowered by enterprise.
Mission YUVA, therefore, must not become another scheme measured primarily by the number of loans sanctioned or disbursed. Its success should ultimately be measured by how many enterprises survive, how many become profitable, how many jobs they generate and how many young entrepreneurs graduate from dependence on government support to economic self-reliance.
There is also a larger lesson here. Jammu and Kashmir has a large educated youth population, but government employment alone can never absorb the aspirations of every young person. Entrepreneurship and self-employment have to become respectable, viable and sustainable career choices. This requires changing the mindset of both institutions and society.
Banks, too, must understand that young entrepreneurs are not merely borrowers. They are potential long-term customers, employers and contributors to the local economy. A failed enterprise is not simply a bad loan; it represents a lost opportunity for employment and economic growth.
The government’s claim of unprecedented ownership of Mission YUVA will acquire real meaning only if that ownership continues from sanction to survival. Regular follow-up, transparent monitoring and quick intervention in cases of genuine difficulty should be built into the programme.
The 3,100 beneficiaries are not just a number for a campaign headline. They represent 3,100 aspirations, families and potential businesses. If even a substantial proportion of these ventures flourish, the impact could extend far beyond the beneficiaries themselves.
J&K needs a culture in which a young person proudly says, “I created my own job, and jobs for others.” Mission YUVA can help build that culture, but only if credit is treated not as the destination, but as the beginning of an entrepreneurial journey.
