MUDDASIR ALI
Srinagar, Sept 1: The Jammu and Kashmir Government Wednesday announced release of Voluntary Service Allowance to the eligible jobless youth under the Sher-i-Kashmir Employment Welfare Program since April this year. However government made it clear that it was not possible for it to provide jobs to all unemployed educated youth under the much-hyped program.
 “The government has released Rs 76 crore to all the District Employment and Counseling Centers. The eligible youth can approach the authorities concerned and receive the allowance due to them since April this year. The District Development Commissioners have been asked to monitor the flow of money,” Minister for Labor and Employment, Abdul Gani Malik, told a press conference here.
 The government, he said, has a target of more than 1.25 lakh youth belonging to the age group between 26 to 37 years under the VSA program. 
 “At present we are providing monthly allowance of Rs 40 lakh. But our target is Rs 10 crores. We have removed certain riders from the policy and hope that more youth would apply for it,” said the minister.
 The move comes at a time when the Valley youth are aghast against the government and protesting openly against it over the killings since June this year.
 Each jobless youth belonging to a family with monthly income of less than 1.5 lakh would be entitled to the allowance on the basis of his qualification—Rs 600 for matriculate and Rs 1200 for post graduate.
 “We can’t end unemployment by providing Rs 1200 but it is a big step to help the educated youth.”
 In case of female candidates, government would be providing an extra Rs 50 in comparison to their male counterparts with same education qualification—Rs 650 for female matriculate and Rs 1250 for female post graduate.
 The minister said more than 5.95 lakh unemployed youth have registered themselves with the District Employment Centers.
 “It is a huge number. However, only those unemployed educated youth belonging to the age group between 26 to 37 will be covered under the SKEWP,” the minister said.
 Regarding the jobless educated youth belonging to age group below 26 and above 37, the minister said the former can’t be treated as unemployed and instead they belong to the student class and the latter can avail the benefits of various employment schemes lying with different departments.
 Regarding financial support under the Seed Capital Fund Scheme to help educated youth take up entrepreneurship as career option instead of hankering after the government jobs, the minister said government was in close contact with the financial institutions including JK Bank to finalize money-lending to the deserving youth.
 As per the policy plan, Seed Capital equivalent to 35 percent of the project cost would be provided to the prospective entrepreneur up to a maximum of Rs three lakh for undergraduates/graduates and Rs five lakh for postgraduates.
 For technically qualified persons such as Engineers, Doctors and Computer Science & Technology graduates, business management students, the maximum limit would be Rs 7.5 lakh and for group initiatives the permissible upper limit would be up to Rs 10 lakh. However, in individual cases where costlier technologies are involved the upper limit shall be Rs 10 lakh and it would be for the Screening Committee to decide as to which case falls in this particular category.
 “The Seed Money will be non-refundable. Besides preparing their Detailed Project Reports, the government will provide training to the deserving candidates,” the minister said.
 Besides, government would also be providing subsidy to the educated youth applying for other self-employment schemes under the SKEWPY

Lastupdate on : Wed, 1 Sep 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 1 Sep 2010 18:30:00 GMT
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