Five-day-long Self-Employment Mela cum awareness camp kickstarted on November 15 at Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Kargil.
 
The programme was organised by the Department of Technical Education and Skill Development UT Ladakh and was inaugurated by the Executive Councillor for Technical Education Mohsin Ali.
The camp aimed to impart awareness to the unemployed youth about different bank loans and government schemes in industries and entrepreneurship.
 
Different wings of the ITI Kargil, State Bank of India, J&K Bank, Grameen Bank, Punjab National Bank, J&K Cooperative Bank, District Industries Centre Kargil, GST Department, SC/ST Development Corporation Kargil besides other departments had put up their stalls to impart awareness about several government schemes relating to subsidy and entrepreneurship.
 
Speaking on the occasion, EC Mohsin Ali urged the unemployed youth and ITI students to avail benefits from the bank loans and govt schemes. He further said that the students and current youth are fortunate that the government is providing awareness at their doorsteps and also assured to provide stalls of other departments which are necessary to sanction loans. Adding he said concerned departments will also be directed to provide on-spot loans during the five-day long mela.
 
Chief Planning Officer (CPO) Kargil, Abdul Hadi; General Manager, Industries Centre, Iftikhar Naseem; Superintendent ITI Kazim Ali; Lead Bank Manager, Kargil, Tsering Angmo, bank representatives among other officers were present on the occasion.
 
CPO, Abdul Hadi said that Deputy Commissioner Kargil has instructed the banks to impart awareness for the first two days and sanction loans during the next three days of the mela, and accordingly the application forms for loans will be submitted to the concerned departments. He further stressed the concerned departments and banks to take all requisite measures to achieve progress in terms of awareness and sanction of loans before the closing date where the CEC and DC Kargil are scheduled to visit the mela.
 
General Manager, Industries Centre, Iftikhar Naseem said that the District Industries Center (DIC) Kargil works for the promotion of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and aims to promote small businesses for local and viable products. He further said that the DIC provides assistance in three phases that are pre-investment phase, investment phase, and post-investment phase.
 
He further informed that there are more than 42 schemes in different departments for the promotion of small and local businesses. He stated that industrial estate is also being developed at Kargil, Drass, and Zanskar.
 
District Lead Bank Manager, Tsering Angmo representative of SBI Owais Chak, and Superintendent ITI Kazim Ali imparted awareness to the students about various schemes, loans, and subsidy policies that are aimed to foster technical education, industrial development, and entrepreneurship. 
 
The officials of different banks and departments appraised the EC about various schemes like Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Start-up India, Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Micro Units Development, and Refinance Agency loans, and other related schemes.