As part of the ongoing Sewa Parv celebrations, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Pulwama, Dr. Basharat Qayoom, today attended the Udyam YUVA fest at Pulwama, organised by the Employment department in collaboration with ITI Pulwama.
The event witnessed enthusiastic participation of ITI students enrolled in different courses, as well as alumni who have successfully completed skill-based training programmes. Speaking on the occasion, DC said that entrepreneurship is a gateway for youth to transform their energy and ideas into productive ventures.
He encouraged young people to become job providers instead of job seekers and stressed that new ideas and skills will shape the future of Pulwama and help the whole society progress. Dr. Qayoom further informed the gathering that Mission YUVA is designed to transform local youth into successful entrepreneurs by providing not only financial assistance but also continuous mentoring and handholding support.
He highlighted that a door-to-door comprehensive survey has already been conducted across Pulwama to identify potential entrepreneurs and enterprises and for further handholding different committees such as YUVA Doots at Panchayat Level, Business Help Desks (BHDs) at block level and Small Business Development Unit (SBDU) at district level have already been constituted.
He further directed officials to develop curated and skill-oriented courses regarding Mission YUVA initiative, so that the training is directly linked with emerging livelihood opportunities and market demand.
On the occasion, ITI alumni also shared their entrepreneurship journeys, motivating current students to pursue innovation, self-reliance, and enterprise building. A Mission YUVA Facilitation Zone was also set up at the venue to provide participants awareness about the scheme, handholding support for applications, and on-the-spot grievance redressal.
The two-day fest featured a range of activities. On the first day, competitions such as quiz, essay writing, speech, and painting were organised on themes including entrepreneurship, financial literacy, Mission YUVA, and the future of youth-led enterprises.
Earlier, Superintendent ITI Pulwama, in his address, informed the gathering about the wide range of courses offered by the institute in various trades. He further mentioned that two special batches under Mission YUVA have already been completed and the process for launching additional batches is underway.
Later, Dr. Qayoom distributed certificates and cash prizes among the winners of the competitions, appreciating their talent and creativity. Meanwhile, as part of the ongoing Sewa Parv activities across the district, plantation drives, cleanliness drives, and awareness camps continued with active community participation.
Special assemblies were also organised in schools, where students took a pledge to develop Green School Campuses by protecting the environment and adopting eco-friendly habits. In addition, under the Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyan, free medical camps were organised at PHCs, CHCs, and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.
These camps provided free screening for anaemia, tuberculosis, sickle cell disease, blood pressure, and other lifestyle-related illnesses, along with awareness sessions on maternal and child health, nutrition, and menstrual hygiene.