Mission Youth, Government of Jammu and Kashmir

Choosing the right scheme

• Youth groups setting up a community livelihood project: Rise Together.
• Individuals starting or expanding a business in J&K: Spurring Entrepreneurship Initiative.
• Young women starting a self-employment venture: Tejaswini.
• Unemployed youth wanting a transport livelihood: Mumkin.
• Groups of dental professionals opening a clinic: the dental scheme.
• Youth with an innovative project in art, skills, crafts, literature, research or science: YoungInn.
• Youth in distress from insurgency-related incidents in J&K: SAHYTA.

How applications work

• Rise Together proposals are invited in the fourth quarter of each year.
• The business loan is applied for through a digital Mission Youth module.
• Mumkin runs through the JK-e Services portal, so confirm the route first.
• Applicants not enrolled in an institution must register with Mission Youth first.

How selection works

• Rise Together assessment is completed by the end of each financial year, and the shortlist is notified in April.

Check before you apply

• Rise Together requires J&K domicile, and no group member may have availed a government self-employment scheme.
• The business loan covers new ventures and expansions within J&K.
• The notices on the site run from 2023 to early 2024, so confirm the current round before preparing an application.

Mission Youth is an initiative of the Government of Jammu & Kashmir (Union Territory) that offers schemes for young people in the territory. Most of its schemes are bank loans with a government subsidy, and it also gives assistance to youth innovators and to youth in distress. The organisation is based at the Civil Secretariat in Jammu and Srinagar.

Who it supports

Eligibility depends on the scheme. Rise Together is for youth groups. The Spurring Entrepreneurship Initiative is for individuals setting up or expanding a business. Tejaswini is for young women, Mumkin for unemployed youth who want a transport livelihood, and the dental scheme for groups of dental professionals opening clinics. Ages and qualifications vary. The business loan takes applicants aged 18 to 40 with a 12th standard qualification, while Young Innovators takes applicants aged 18 to 35 with a 10th standard qualification.

Several schemes are limited to people or projects in Jammu & Kashmir. Rise Together requires Jammu & Kashmir domicile, the business loan requires the venture to be within the territory, Mumkin is for youth of Jammu & Kashmir, and SAHYTA covers incidents in Jammu & Kashmir.

Programmes

Rise Together is a community livelihood scheme for youth groups. It pairs a bank loan with an upfront subsidy from Mission Youth, and a further subsidy towards repayments, capped for each case. No member of the group may have availed a government self-employment scheme before.

The Spurring Entrepreneurship Initiative is a loan for youth setting up a new business or expanding an existing one. Mission Youth pays the interest component, provided the borrower does not default on the principal, and the borrower repays only the principal.

Tejaswini, also spelled Tejaswani on the Schemes page, is a Mudra loan from J&K Bank for young women who want to start a self-employment venture. It was announced as a special scheme on International Women's Day. Mission Youth gives a subsidy towards the loan account, and repayment of Mission Youth's assistance is interest free. No family income criteria apply.

Mumkin provides a subsidised purchase of a new small commercial vehicle for unemployed youth, so they can start a livelihood in the transport sector. Mission Youth contributes towards each vehicle. The scheme runs through a module on the JK-e Services portal.

The sector-specific scheme for dental professionals supports groups of dental professionals who open clinics. The group needs two BDS doctors and two dental technicians with the qualification set by the UT Dental Council. Mission Youth gives a grant-in-aid for each clinic, a bank start-up loan covers the rest, and the assistance can go on equipment, medical supplies and fixed assets.

The Young Innovators Program (YoungInn) gives financial assistance to youth with innovative projects in art, skills, crafts, literature, research or science. Applicants who are not enrolled in an institution can apply directly, if they are registered with Mission Youth.

The SAHYTA Program gives special financial assistance to youth in distress aged 18 to 40, to set up a self-employment unit. Youth in distress means someone who lost a next of kin or family member in insurgency-related action, cross-border shelling or a mine blast in Jammu and Kashmir, or a family member who was permanently incapacitated in such an incident. Other criteria are not stated on the Schemes page.

Mission Youth also runs schemes outside startup funding. Parvaaz sponsors coaching for competitive exams such as UPSC and JKPSC, with free coaching for candidates under a family income limit and 30 percent of sanctioned seats earmarked for girls. Its 2023 notices also cover NEET and JEE coaching. Super 75 gives scholarships to meritorious students for postgraduate or research study in regular mode. Endeavour to Empower sponsors market-driven skill trainings for youth. The Youth Data Bank is intended to address shortcomings in official statistics on youth in Jammu & Kashmir.

Scale and track record

The site does not publish results such as startups supported, jobs created or capital raised. It gives planned figures instead. YoungInn plans for 50 applicants in a calendar year at first, and the dental pilot phase plans for 200 clinics with employment for 400 doctors and 400 dental technicians. The pilot phase is not dated on the page.

How to apply

Rise Together invites proposals in the fourth quarter of each year, and the shortlist is notified in April after assessment. The Spurring Entrepreneurship Initiative applies through a digital module that Mission Youth has developed. Mumkin runs through the JK-e Services portal, while the J&K employment schemes portal also lists it, so confirm the route before applying. Applicants who are not enrolled in an institution must register with Mission Youth first.

The notices on the site are dated 2023 and early 2024. Confirm whether a round is open before you prepare an application, through the Mission Youth office at missionyouthjk@jk.gov.in.