Jammu and Kashmir scripted a new record by providing entrepreneurship and self-employment opportunities to 94,680 youth in a single day, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The function was presided over by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Convention Centre just two days before the celebration of 75th Republic Day.
The Lt Governor congratulated the Jammu Kashmir Bank for its endeavour to strengthen the spirit of ‘Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyaan’ and ‘Swarozgar Utsav’–two ongoing campaigns aimed at financial empowerment of farmers and the youth.
“Today, J&K creates a new record by distributing sanction letters to set up new units and startups that will fulfil the dreams of youth and their aspiration of being job creators and not job seekers,” the Lt Governor said.
This momentous occasion also marks a significant leap forward in transforming UT’s economic landscape, he added.
He said J&K Bank is the common man’s bank and is playing an important role for the betterment of common people.
Swarozgar Utsav for entrepreneurship and self-employment covered all panchayats of J&K UT, and J&K Bank will provide Rs 1384 crore to set up new units and startups, the Lt Governor observed. We will provide training and supportive infrastructure to create sustainable employment for more youth in these units, he said.
The Lt Governor also highlighted the achievements registered in the saturation of Kisan Credit Card across the Union Territory.
“Under Ghar-Ghar KCC Abhiyaan, about 2 lakh farmers are provided with Kisan Credit Cards to ensure they have access to reliable, adequate, and affordable credit. I see a new revolution is under way in the agriculture and allied sectors that will construct new pathways for the prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Lt Governor said.
While appreciating the bank’s contribution towards social development projects in the UT under its CSR initiatives, the Lt Governor underscored the scope for input credit in the agriculture and MSME sectors to help farmers and youth create employment opportunities besides attaining self-sufficiency, as per the statement.
He directed the J&K Bank to achieve saturation in Ghar Ghar KCC Abhiyaan, Stand-Up India, and startups.
We have a lot of expectations from J&K Bank, and I expect the bank to devise campaigns to take financial literacy programmes to a vast portion of the population. Under the Back to Village and My Town, My Pride programs, the banks must strive to achieve the envisaged target for the extension of financial assistance to enterprising youth, he observed.
“As we embark on a path of renewed economic and social development in UT, banks, especially J&K Bank, will have to ensure the economic needs of farmers, youth, and women are catered to with people-friendly schemes aimed at creating employment and livelihood opportunities not only for the beneficiaries but those associated with them as well,” the Lt Governor said.
On this occasion, the Lt Governor handed over Insurance Claim Settlement checks to the legal heirs of the deceased government employees covered under the bank’s Group Personal Accidental Insurance. He also felicitated successful entrepreneurs and farmers financed by the bank, as per the statement.
The Lt Governor launched the Kisan Sathi Chatbot, an AI-based farmer-friendly application of the Agriculture Production Department. Pertinently, J&K Bank has also contributed Rs 40.27 lakh under its CSR initiative for the chatbot application, it added.
Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary; Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department; B Sridhar, CGM of NABARD; Baldev Prakash, MD and CEO J&K Bank and other senior officials were present. (ANI)
