Poonch, Jan 28: Director, Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Ajaz Ahmad Bhat on Saturday said JKEDI is planning to start short-term courses revolving around the theme of entrepreneurship in various schools and colleges in Jammu & Kashmir.

“In the long run, undergraduate and postgraduate courses will also be offered. This step will help create a robust entrepreneurial culture in J&K,” Bhat said, adding, “Unemployment is a serious challenge and self-employment and entrepreneurship can counter this threat. We have to be innovative and use local raw materials and resources available to us.”

As a part of his ongoing visit to the Pir Panjal region, the Director JKEDI inaugurated a mega entrepreneurship awareness programme here in Poonch. The aim of this visit is to acknowledge the fact that remote areas and border districts play a critical role in strengthening the overall entrepreneurship ecosystem in the Union Territory.

The day-long awareness program was organized by JKEDI in collaboration with Government Degree College, Poonch, and the University of Jammu, Poonch Campus. The aim behind such initiatives is to enable young minds to develop an entrepreneurial mindset at an early stage. This will enable them to overcome the challenges of launching a business venture. This will also encourage critical thinking and innovation among students from various schools, colleges, and universities in the district.

The officials from JKEDI also enumerated the benefits of the term loan scheme under the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation (NMDFC) and how this initiative of the government is generating self-employment among the minority community. In the coming days, the institute is releasing a compendium of various entrepreneurship and self-employment-related schemes. This will be a great help for the youth of UT and will enable them to make informed career choices. "J&K Entrepreneur" a quarterly newsletter issued by JKEDI also plays an invaluable part in communicating with readers by showcasing the progress, achievements, and events of the Institute.

The Director also visited business units sponsored by JKEDI in district Poonch. “Successful business holders whether they are sponsored by JKEDI or under any other government scheme can prove to be role models for the youth. Such initiatives should be encouraged and interaction programs with successful entrepreneurs should be organized for the benefit of students and aspiring entrepreneurs,” he said.

Bhat reiterated the fact that such campaigns to hold awareness programs will continue in all the districts and no area of the UT will be left uncovered. “Together with my team, I will personally visit all the districts of the UT. In the future, this will be a regular practice for the Institute's field teams," he said.   

Under the ‘J&K Startup Policy 2018-2028’, the UT administration aims to nurture and inspire the young and entrepreneurial brains of Jammu and Kashmir to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship by creating a vibrant and conducive start-up environment in the region. The Director also informed the participants that the government is revising the Guidelines of the J&K Startup Policy in order to make it more startup-friendly. This will boost the startup ecosystem of UT and will help the innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs in J&K.

The Director also interacted with the faculty members of the degree college and assured the College Principal that the institute will work out a way to work together to start short-term courses. Later in the day, he had a detailed meeting with the staff of JKEDI Poonch and reviewed progress achieved under various schemes being implemented by the department. He exhorted the staff to work with dedication and sincerity for the betterment of the people of Poonch.

Dr. Mehraj Ud Din Bhat and Vishal Ray, senior faculty members of JKEDI gave an overview of how to start a new business and highlighted the facets of the Startup Policy. Hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs and students attended the event. Dr. Jasbir Singh, Principal, GDC Poonch, Dr Rubiya, Campus Officer Poonch, University of Jammu, Dr Suraksha, Incharge Sericulture Department Poonch campus, University of Jammu, Arif Ahmad Khan, Communications Officer, JKEDI, Azmat Hussain, District Nodal Officer, JKEDI Poonch and Adil Rasool, Manager Estates, JKEDI were also present on the occasion.