JKEDI changing lives; helping educated, unemployed youth set up businesses

The Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) has helped to provide self-employment opportunities to a large number of educated, unemployed youth in the region.

The youth received training from JKEDI, Poonch and are also helped by the organisation financially. A large number of them started their own work and are earning well. JKEDI is working in the area from 2012.

A beneficiary, Fariq Ahmed said, "I took a loan of Rs 4 lakh and started the business of spare parts and repair. This is a good scheme by the government. I have 3-4 people employed under me. We want to thank the government for this. My business is running well."

Another beneficiary in the same business of spare parts said, "I am running a shop of spare parts. When I started it, there were 1-2 employees working under me but today there 5-6 people working under me. I want to say that if 5 people are working under me, it is because of JKEDI. I am thankful to them."

Abdul Mazid whose firm is registered as Mazid Electronics said, "I took a loan from JKEDI around 5-6 years ago. Today, the work is going well and I have several workers working for me."

The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to JKEDI for changing their lives.

Mohammad Iqbal Khwaja, who claimed that his business has grown exponentially, said all of this has been done with JKEDI's help.

"I have taken a loan of nearly 10.5 lakh. I started a business. Today, the business has increased exponentially. All of this has been done by government," he said.

Iqbal Ali, Assistant Faculty, District Centre Poonch says, "Our motive is to reach out to the educated people who are unemployed and show the way to them and give financial assistance to them. We have established 800 units."

JKEDI has been established by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in March 1997 to effectively enable entrepreneurship development in the state. The institute started its regular activities from February 2004 and has positioned itself as a learning centre par excellence with state of the art regional centers across Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. Besides, JKEDI Community Organisers have been set up in all of the 22 districts enabling entrepreneurship and promoting development at the grassroots.