Srinagar, May 19: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Tuesday reviewed the implementation roadmap of the proposed Youth Empowerment Programme (YEP), an integrated initiative aimed at connecting youth with government schemes, counselling services, skill development and career opportunities across the Union Territory.
The programme, being developed by the Planning Development and Monitoring Department Jammu and Kashmir, is expected to be rolled out across all districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The review meeting was attended by senior officers including Principal Secretaries, Commissioners Secretaries, Deputy Commissioners and departmental representatives, while Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir divisions joined through video conferencing.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary reviewed the YEP digital portal currently under development and assessed the services proposed for registered youth. Officials also presented the workflow mechanism designed for departments and district administrations for preparing action plans, approving activities and uploading event-related documentation.
According to Commissioner Secretary Planning, R. Alice Vaz, the programme is intended to function as an integrated digital platform linking youth with government schemes, counselling, training and participatory governance initiatives irrespective of social or geographical background.
Officials informed the meeting that the programme is targeted at youth in the 15 to 35 age group across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir and aims to integrate schemes and services of more than 18 government departments onto a single platform.
Nodal Officer Owais Ahmad said registered users would receive tailored recommendations for schemes, programmes and career pathways based on psychometric assessment tests designed to map aptitude, interests and aspirations.
The meeting was informed that the initiative would also encourage participation of youth in community activities, awareness campaigns and programmes such as the Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyaan.
Officials further said the platform would include an AI-enabled multilingual chatbot named “YEP Assistant” to provide guidance, counselling and mentoring support related to schemes, career opportunities and wellbeing services.
The programme also includes API integration with multiple government schemes, enabling online applications through a single portal without requiring separate registrations on departmental websites.
According to officials, a dedicated mobile application for Android and iOS platforms is also under development with offline functionality to facilitate access in remote areas.
The immediate implementation roadmap includes security audits, OTP integration, onboarding of departments, stakeholder capacity building and phased rollout of additional modules. Future phases are expected to include DigiLocker integration, advanced analytics and AI-based enhancements.
Officials described the initiative as an effort to create a unified and technology-driven youth development framework for Jammu and Kashmir.
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