Mission SKILL to Revolutionize J&K’s Economy and Youth Empowerment: Deputy CM Surinder Choudhary
JAMMU March 25, 2026 :- Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary inaugurated a high-level stakeholders’ workshop titled “Mission SKILL – Transforming the Skilling Ecosystem” today at the Jammu Convention Centre.
Addressing a diverse gathering of industry leaders, academicians, and trainees, the Deputy Chief Minister characterized Mission SKILL as a visionary, demand-driven initiative designed to overhaul the region’s vocational landscape.
He emphasized that with over 70 percent of Jammu and Kashmir’s population falling within the working-age group, the government is prioritizing a structured and inclusive framework to harness this demographic dividend.
The mission adopts a comprehensive “lifecycle approach,” integrating vocational exposure at the school level and extending it through technical training, career counseling, and lifelong learning to ensure a sustainable bridge between education and employment.
The initiative aims to benefit lakhs of youth by modernizing ITIs and Polytechnics while promoting future-ready expertise in high-growth sectors such as Information Technology, renewable energy, tourism, and modern services.
A core component of Mission SKILL is its “digital-first” strategy, which utilizes an integrated platform for real-time skill mapping, certification, and placement tracking to ensure complete transparency.
Deputy Chief Minister Choudhary reiterated the administration’s commitment to social equity, ensuring that women, rural youth, and marginalized communities have equal access to these economic opportunities.
He called for a robust “collective action” model, urging seamless collaboration between government bodies, educational institutions, and private industry to build a workforce that is both capable and globally competitive.Supporting the mission’s objectives, Secretary of the Skill Development Department, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, highlighted the necessity of inter-departmental convergence to optimize resource utilization.
The workshop, organized by the Directorate of Skill Development, saw active participation from over 450 stakeholders and trainees. Prominent figures including Director Skill Development Owais Ahmed, Chamber of Commerce President Arun Gupta, and ICC J&K Chairman Rahul Sahai shared insights on bridging existing skill gaps.
By aligning training programs with actual market demands and fostering industry-academia partnerships, Mission SKILL is positioned to become the cornerstone of inclusive economic growth and long-term prosperity for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir.