The government has mulled a proposal for creating a Centre for Training and Skill Development and Centre for Incubation and Business Acceleration at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI).

The move assumes significance given the fact that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is faced with an uphill task of creating more and more employment avenues so that jobs in all sectors-be it government, semi-government or the private, are created to adjust the educated and skilled youth who have been left to fend for themselves as far as their employment needs are concerned.

These Centres, first of its kind in the State, would augment the training activities for young entrepreneurs at the EDI. The need for an Incubation Centre was felt for long to guide the freshly trained youth in arranging capital, material and market support for their projects. The project is expected to cost Rs. 27 crore and is expected to build the training capacity at the EDI by a great measure.

We are given to understand that the government would do all what it takes to see that enterprise takes full roots in the State. However, mere laying a foundation stone for such projects would not serve the purpose.

We are witnessing an upward trend of young boys and girls who are trying to seek their future in the vibrant and growing private sector. One gets the notion that many young boys and girls are standing up on their feet confidently and are providing livelihood to many others.

This confidence among the new breed of entrepreneurs needs to be built and multiplied to create a generation of young, successful  and enterprising entrepreneurs in the State who would not be dependent on the Government but contributing significantly to the State’s economy and society.

Going by the past experiences we can easily claim that all such moves have proved to be as a damp squib. The government’s efforts to create a hassle free system for ensuring that youth should feel inclined towards establishing their own enterprise rather than running after government jobs, have not worked.

If the claims that we make fall short of reality, the government better ask some tough questions to those who have been assigned the job of ensuring participation of more and more young entrepreneurs into the private sector so as to create a new breed of contributors out of the educated and unemployed lot.   

The management at the Entrepreneurship Development Institute also needs to carry out a vigorous self appraisal to check the number of failures they have churned out. The EDI is presenting those figures only that show a rosy picture about the institute while as those who even after completing their training and other activities have not able to avail the loans and other incentives that the government is bound to provide to these young men and women.

No doubt the addition of Incubation and Training Centres would greatly enhance the quality of training at the Institute, but beyond the trainings and other activities, a hassle free and a single window clearance pattern needs to be made mandatory for all such schemes to see their full utility being achieved.

Guest