Jammu, Jan 31:
* ‘Will make SKEWPY more inclusive’ * ‘Support entrepreneurs in off-bank mode to get soft loans’
Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Tuesday gave nod to yet another initiative of ‘Youth Start-up Loan Scheme’ (YSLS) under Sher-i-Kashmir Employment and Welfare Programme for Youth (SKEWPY) to expand its orbit of offering opportunities to the educated youth for venturing in independent livelihood earning ventures, an official statement said.
Reviewing the progress of meeting at the 5th meeting of SKEWPY here, the Chief Minister said that YSLS initiative on the pattern of term-loan schemes of National Minorities Development and Financial Corporation (NMDFC) will make SKEWPY more inclusive and support entrepreneurs in an off-bank mode to get soft loans for launching self-employment ventures.
“The initiative could be implemented with target cases of 100 each in Kashmir and Jammu divisions within a time frame of two months”, he said adding that the initiative will provide opportunities to the budding entrepreneurs to get hassle-free and simple loans on lesser interest rates.
A proposal regarding the launch of the initiative was discussed in the meeting threadbare which was attended by Deputy Chief Minister, Tara Chand, Minister for Finance, Abdul Rahim Rather, Minister for Industries, S. S. Slathia, Minister for Higher Education, Abdul Gani Malik, Minister for Medical Education, R. S. Chib, Minister of State for Power, Shabir Ahmad Khan, Advisors to the Chief Minister, Mubarak Gul and Devender Singh Rana, Economic Advisor to the Government, Jaleel Amad Khan, Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Mushtaq Ahmad, Principal Secretaries, Muhammad Iqbal Khandey, B. B. Vyas, K. B. Agarwal, Commissioner Secretary Employment, Yadullah and various senior officers.
It was stated in the meeting that SKEWPY is emerging as a dynamic programme, gathering momentum with experience and success of beneficiaries.
It was also stated that a formal mechanism for coordinating role of employment department is being devised along with its reorganization.
The Chief Minister emphasized the need for collective approach by all concerned and working in a missionary zeal in making SKEWPY initiative more comprehensive, smooth and easy for the youth to take to self-employment ventures.
He stressed the need for early completion of District Employment Counselling Centres and making them functional.
The meeting was informed that 33000 youth have been engaged as VSAs under the scheme so far and process is on.
It was also informed that more than 2808 cases for establishment of entrepreneurship units have been sanctioned during this year of which 2411 have received about Rs 70 crore financial assistance.
Chairman, J&K Bank, Mushtaq Ahmad told the meeting that bank has put in place a special mechanism to clear the SKEWPY cases on priority.
“We are educating both beneficiaries as well as bank officials about the efficacy and importance of the scheme to address unemployment crisis and the role of Bank in this direction”, he added.
source: http://www.GreaterKashmir.com / GK News Network / Jammu / January 31st, 2012