Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Kumar Chaudhary, today chaired a high level review meeting held to assess progress on the J&K Startup Policy 2024-27 here at the Civil Secretariat Srinagar.
Present in the meeting were Commissioner Secretary Industries & Commerce, Vikramjit Singh, Secretary in Industries & Commerce and Director, JKEDI, Khalid Jahangir; Managing Director, JKTPO; Director Finance, Industries & Commerce; Director Planning, Industries & Commerce; Additional Secretary (A), Industries & Commerce and the Startup team from Jammu & Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI).
Secretary in Industries & Commerce, who also holds the charge of Director JKEDI, gave a comprehensive presentation highlighting key developments under the J&K Startup Policy 2024-27, including startup registrations, workshops conducted, awareness initiatives and startups shortlisted for seed funding.
The Dy CM was also apprised of various Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed by JKEDI, as a nodal agency for implementation of J&K Startup Policy, with national and state-level institutions aimed at fostering mentorship and knowledge exchange.
Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Chief Minister directed the officials to initiate collaborations with reputed national and international institutions to mentor and accelerate startups in J&K.
He instructed for conducting grassroots level awareness programs in schools and colleges through idea challenges, business plan development camps, seminars and workshops to help the aspiring entrepreneurs get a clarity of thought and fine tune their ideas into potential business models.
In a significant move to support early-stage entrepreneurs, the Dy CM directed that co-working spaces at JKEDI’s Pampore and Bari Brahmana campuses be made available to the eligible startups.
Choudhary also called for specific sessions for selected students on startup functioning under the supervision of the Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department.
To ensure swift and effective implementation, the Dy CM emphasised processing of the operational guidelines and funding mechanisms of the J&K Startup Policy so as to extend its benefits to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir. These measures aim to empower the youth of Jammu & Kashmir and strengthen the JK's economic landscape.
