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Skill India, Digital India, and Mission Youth are not just Policies in Kashmir, they are lifelines helping young men and women reimaging success and self-reliance in a fast changing world.
India, home to the world’s largest youth population, is poised for a digital transformation. With digital transformation moving through economies and societies at a blistering pace, it is important that young people are empowered, particularly in rural areas, for sustainable and inclusive development. It is nowhere more truely than in Jammu and Kashmir where government-supported programs are unfolding new avenues for youth to shift from their traditional roles to becoming talented professionals, entrepreneurs, and digital entrepreneurs.
In the past, the youth of Kashmir had scant exposure to contemporary education, facilities, or careers based on technology. Options for work were typically limited to agriculture, government services, or crafts native to the area. Combined with political uncertainty, weak connectivity, and economic dislocation, the region was disconnected further from narratives of national development. Although there have been central government initiatives such as TRYSEM and SGSY in the past aimed at curbing unemployment, they were not integrated with digital competencies or industry interfaces.
The catalyst was the initiation of Digital India in 2015. This ambitious country mission was focused on establishing a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. It extended digital services and infrastructure to the rural sector through schemes such as Bharat Net and Common Services Centres (CSCs). CSCs have now become lifelines in Kashmir that offer youth opportunities for online education, government schemes, digital banking, and entrepreneurship guidance. Many villages in Baramulla, Budgam, Shopian, Anantnag and Kupwara now have CSCs offering services from document registration to online skill training.
Simultaneously, the Skill India Mission, also launched in 2015, started to address the challenge of unemployment by imparting industry-relevant training. Programs like Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) were rolled out to the rural areas, covering short-term training in occupations like IT, hospitality, retail, and construction. One of the most important schemes rolled out for Jammu and Kashmir was the Himayat Scheme that catered to placement-linked training exclusively for the youth who were unemployed in the state. Thousands of youth have been benefitted by it, getting trained and placed in jobs all over the nation.
In 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir government launched Mission Youth, which is an umbrella program that incorporates skill development, entrepreneurship, education, and youth mobilization. Under Mission Youth, a range of sub-schemes have been established that create focused support systems for different categories of youth. The Tejaswini Scheme aims to encourage young women to create their own enterprises with soft loans, training and mentoring. The Mumkin Scheme provides unemployed youth with support to purchase commercial vehicles in order to sustain them. Schemes (like Parvaaz) have been created to assist students who are preparing for competitive examinations, whilst Rise Together helps young people who are developing group enterprises.
These initiatives have already made tangible impact on the ground. In areas such as Anantnag, Pulwama, Bandipora, Baramulla, Kupwara and Ganderbal, youngsters trained through PMKVY and Himayat have established small businesses like digital print outlets, tailoring units, and food processing businesses. In South Kashmir, one young entrepreneur started a home-based herbal soap business after taking a skill training course Girls in Budgam, trained in digital marketing through Mission Youth are selling local handicrafts online through platforms such as Instagram and Meesho, also called direct selling. These success stories provide an indication on the potential that can be untapped in the youth of Kashmir if they are facilitated with the right tools and opportunities.
Digital access has enhanced a lot in the last few years. With 4G and 5G services’ expansion and enhanced broadband connectivity, job seekers and students are finding recourse more and more in portals such as SWAYAM, DIKSHA, and e-Skill India. Smart boards and tablets are being installed in rural schools under Samagra Shiksha, helping digital learning supplement the traditional one. Through mobile phones, radio, and television, under the PM e-Vidya scheme, remote students have access to quality content.
Notably, digital transformation is not only enriching men. Women and girls in Kashmir are actively using digital tools to transform their lives. Girls trained under CSCs in Shopian are employed as accountants by local fruit traders. Women-led SHGs trained in handicrafts in Baramulla are now selling their products online and earning incomes. In the agricultural field, women are increasingly accessing mobile apps for weather forecasts, fertilizer recommendations, and prices for crops, following training received under agricultural extension schemes.
Nonetheless, with all the progress made, still, there are critical challenges. Disruptions to the internet, particularly in border counties, can cause learning online and conducting businesses online to be halted. Power outages and inadequate digital literacy among the aged still remain barriers. Most youth are not even aware of the schemes they are eligible for because there has been inadequate information dissemination. Furthermore, on completion of training, most lack guidance on the next steps. Lack of market access, mentorship, and access to affordable finance often curtails new businesses’ success.
In the future, many measures need to be taken to continue and develop this change. First, drives about skill development programs and online platforms need to be promoted to all panchayats and schools. Local NGOs, operators of CSCs, and teachers can help navigate young people toward accessible opportunities. Second, the infrastructure needs to be enhanced in remote districts, particularly in regions with higher elevations like Karnah, Gurez, and Doda, where internet connectivity is poor. Offering solar-powered learning labs and offline learning kits can serve to bridge this gap.
Third, vocational training needs to be brought in at an earlier level in schools so that students acquire hands-on skills as well as academics. Curriculum has to be oriented towards local opportunities like horticulture, handicraft, tourism, and digital design so that training converts to earnings. Fourth, additional youth hubs and incubation centers need to be established at the district level where youth will be able to obtain hands-on training, interact with mentors, and obtain start-up support.
Young women should receive special consideration, as they tend to encounter mobility and social constraints. Their access to training centers for women, mobile training, and digital inclusion initiatives must be increased. Public-private partnerships must also be fostered tech companies, universities, and social enterprises can provide internships, mentorship, and financial assistance to rural youth-led organizations.
Lastly, success stories of Kashmiri youth need to be celebrated and promoted far and wide so that others are inspired. When a girl from a remote village is a successful businesswoman or a boy from a border block is a digital freelancer, it sends across a strong message: those aspirations can be realized with proper assistance.
Digital transformation and skill building have started to reframe the future of Kashmir’s youth. Government initiatives such as Digital India, Skill India, Himayat, and Mission Youth are not just providing employment and training but are reclaiming dignity, hope, and confidence in a generation that felt marginalized earlier. With concerted efforts, enhanced infrastructure, and active community participation, Kashmir’s youth can guide the region and the country to a better, empowered digital future.
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