The Minister for Industries and Commerce, Chander Parkash Ganga today pitched for focused and coordinated approach to overcome the problem of unemployment in the state.“There is a need for focused attention with sound institutional arrangements and effective operational strategies for creating employment opportunities and enhancing employability”, the Minister said after inaugurating 21 day training programme under Seed Capital Fund Scheme organized by Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JK EDI) at Jammu.Underscoring the importance of self employment in J&K economy, the Minister said, “Issues of rampant unemployment and GDP enhancement will find solutions in skill development and self employment both at state and national level”.
The Minister informed the budding entrepreneurs about the efforts being made by the government to further streamline industrial processes under ‘ease of doing business’ which include strengthening of single window system, policies for product diversification and business expansion and continuous engagement with stakeholders for better policy formulation.The Minister also felicitated the entrepreneurs who have successfully established their ventures after undergoing training and receiving financial assistance from JKEDI over previous years. “These success stories play a precedent for aspiring young minds to emulate and pursue”, Ganga said. “Success depends not only on necessity, timely launch and quality of the product but also on post sale services, innovation and the ability to adjust to the changing world, thus making business a continuous process”, he added.The Minister while encouraging the entrepreneurs for future endeavours advised them to foster creativity, innovation and adopt best global practices suitable to Indian scenario to enhance socio-economic and cultural development of the state.
Later, the first generation entrepreneurs shared their struggles and experiences with the aspiring youth and inspired them to reap benefits from unparallel training and financial assistance being offered by JKEDI.Director JKEDI, M.I. Parrey, Chief Programme Officer JKEDI, Dr. Majid Manzoor Khan, District Nodal Officer, Dr. Vinod Kumar, Course Coordinator, Divya Bhushan and various entrepreneurs were present on the occasion.JKEDI is undertaking free of cost Entrepreneurship Development Programme (EDP) for 21 days with 65 registered participants. The participants will be trained in entrepreneurial skills including skill development and performance improvement with special focus on sector specific issues, leadership and self development for enterprise creation. Additionally under the seed capital fund scheme, the participants will be provided with financial assistance with 35 % seed capital in association with JK Bank.