At a recent high-level meeting, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo reviewed the performance of employment generation schemes in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting, which included key officials like the Principal Secretaries of Agriculture and Finance, addressed ways to improve self-employment initiatives.
Dulloo stressed the need to consolidate all employment schemes onto a single online platform. This move aims to streamline services, increase transparency, and reduce manual intervention. He also emphasized that only empowered committees should be able to approve applications, eliminating unilateral decisions.
To ease the financial burden on beneficiaries, the Chief Secretary directed departments to focus on strengthening bank linkages and interest subvention components, especially for schemes run by the Women Development Corporation (WDC).
The meeting also reviewed flagship schemes such as the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and Mission Youth initiatives (Mumkin, Tejaswini, and Spurring Entrepreneurship). A key point of concern was the high Non-Performing Asset (NPA) ratio in non-bank-supported schemes, with some corporations reporting NPAs as high as 45%. This highlighted the need for stricter credit discipline and better recovery mechanisms.
To improve efficiency, attendees suggested developing a single digital interface for applicants and a common application form that could automatically recommend suitable schemes. In his closing remarks, the Chief Secretary urged all departments to work together to create a transparent, inclusive, and results-driven self-employment ecosystem in J&K.
