Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 26: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo today chaired a meeting to review the implementation of PM Vishwakarma Yojana in Jammu and Kashmir, with special focus on enhancing credit linkage for the registered beneficiaries.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce (I&C), Vikramjit Singh; Secretary, Labour & Employment, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan; Executive Director, J&K Bank; Directors, I&C Jammu/Kashmir; and other senior officers.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary emphasized that at least 70,000-80,000 beneficiaries should be brought under the ambit of credit linkage with financial institutions to enable them to expand their enterprises on commercial lines.
He directed the concerned departments and banks to work in close coordination to ensure smooth loan sanctions and timely disbursements.
Highlighting the need for robust outreach, the Chief Secretary instructed the officers to launch a mass awareness campaign across every nook and corner of the UT, educating artisans and craftspeople about the full benefits of the scheme.
He said that Common Service Centres (CSCs) at the block level must be leveraged to organize orientation programmes for those who have received toolkits, ensuring that they are well-informed about the scheme’s potential to help them become successful entrepreneurs.
The Chief Secretary underscored that mere distribution of toolkits and training was not enough, and stressed the need for continuous handholding and motivation of beneficiaries.
He suggested showcasing local success stories to inspire artisans to establish viable business ventures and generate employment for others.
Presenting the progress under the scheme, Commissioner Secretary, I&C, Vikramjit Singh informed that J&K ranks 1st among Union Territories and 9th overall among all States/UTs, with 1,54,881 successful registrations. He further revealed that the UT secured the 8th rank nationally, with 1,42,175 toolkits selected and 64,936 delivered to beneficiaries, equipping artisans with modern tools to enhance their trades.
With respect to Skill Training the Secretary, L&E, Kumar Rajeev Ranjan divulged that the UT ranks 7th in the country with 1,32,571 completed skill trainings, reflecting a strong skill development ecosystem.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary chaired a meeting to review the functioning and progress of the Single Window Portal of the Industries & Commerce Department, aimed at providing time-bound, transparent, and hassle-free services to entrepreneurs and businesses across Jammu and Kashmir.
At the outset, the Chief Secretary stressed upon the need to make the Single Window Portal a completely faceless and seamless mechanism, ensuring that applicants can obtain all permissions and NoCs without physically visiting any government office. He directed the NIC to extend all necessary support to plug existing gaps and set October 31, 2025, as the deadline for achieving this goal. He also underlined that his office will independently verify the system’s effectiveness on ground.
Commissioner Secretary, I&C, Vikramjit Singh, informed the meeting that 185 services from 21 departments have already been onboarded onto the portal. He further highlighted that the platform has been integrated with Digilocker, e-Abgari, Auto-Appeal, e-Unnat, and UMANG, NGDRS to enhance transparency, accountability, and user convenience.
Secretary IT, Dr. Piyush Singla, apprised the Chief Secretary that the portal has successfully migrated to the State Data Centre (SDC) and will be made fully functional and live shortly as the mandatory security audit has been completed. He also shared a roadmap for transitioning the portal into a total faceless system, including the development of revised workflows with departments to enable desk-wise monitoring of applications.
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