Jammu, 10 September (H.S.): The Apex Committee of Mission YUVA (Youth Upliftment and Vibrant Advancement) met under Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, and reviewed the milestones achieved since the last Committee meeting held in May 2026, with particular focus on the four broad dimensions of the Mission including Culture, Capital, Capacity, and Connectivity through digital commerce and market access.

The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Finance; Managing Director, J&K Bank; Commissioner Secretary, Planning; Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department; Director, IIM Jammu; Commissioner Secretary, Education; Secretary, Rural Development Department; Director Employment cum Mission Director, Mission YUVA; representatives from Universities, SKUAST, NABARD and other key stakeholders. Deputy Commissioners from all districts participated in the deliberations through video conferencing.

Reviewing the progress, the Chief Secretary took a detailed appraisal of the Mission's performance across its various components and underscored the importance of sustaining the momentum generated on the ground.

He emphasised the need for close coordination among departments, financial institutions, training institutions and field-level functionaries to ensure that the expanding application base translates into viable and sustainable enterprises, meaningful employment opportunities and long-term economic empowerment of the youth.

The Chief Secretary also reviewed the district-wise progress through the Deputy Commissioners and stressed the importance of continued field mobilisation, effective handholding of applicants, timely processing of cases and stronger convergence among the institutions associated with Mission YUVA.

He called for maintaining the focus on women and youth participation, strengthening the training and mentorship ecosystem and leveraging digital platforms to expand market access for locally created products and services.

The Apex Committee also reviewed the institutional mechanisms put in place for field-level implementation and took stock of the emerging requirements for further strengthening the Mission's delivery architecture.

Presenting the latest progress, Secretary, Labour & Employment Department, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, highlighted the substantial expansion of the Mission's footprint since the previous review, noting that the programme has continued to gain traction at both the institutional and grassroots levels.

It was highlighted that the total application intake has increased by 37 per cent, rising from 1,04,067 on May 15 to 1,42,196 as on September 7, 2026. SBDU verifications have risen by 34 per cent to 80,965, while DLIC approvals have increased by 39 per cent to 75,791.

Moreover the loan sanctions have grown by 53 per cent, reaching Rs 1,992 crore across 37,171 sanctioned accounts, while disbursements have reached Rs 1,826 crore across 32,665 accounts, also registering 53 per cent growth.

The meeting was informed that commercial banks are presently processing around 2,800 applications every month, while the final sanction rate has recovered strongly from 23 per cent in July to 40 per cent in August, indicating improved processing efficiency and conversion across the financial funnel.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar