MAY 08: As part of the ongoing initiative to foster entrepreneurship and skill development across Jammu and Kashmir under the World Bank-funded Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) programme, Secretary, Industries & Commerce Department, J&K Government, and Director JKEDI, Khalid Jahangir, along with Managing Director, JKTPO, Sudershan Kumar, visited Government ITI Reasi today to review the ongoing Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programme (ESDP).
The team of officers interacted with the trainees and reviewed the progress of the four-week programme, which commenced on May 5 in the Government ITI Reasi. The batch consists of 33 participants, including 22 female and 11 male aspiring entrepreneurs.
The programme started with a welcome address by the Principal Er. Rajesh Kumar Banotra. Also present on the occasion were DNO Abhilash Kumar Braroo, Trainer Waseem Hussain Mir, Virpartap Singh (Reviewer of the Reasi ESDP) and In-charge CNEC.
During the visit, MD JKTPO Sudershan Kumar appreciated the enthusiasm of the participants and reaffirmed JKTPO’s commitment to fostering grassroots entrepreneurship. He emphasized that under the RAMP initiative, the government is making structured efforts to build entrepreneurial capacity and create job providers across the UT.
Khalid Jahangir provided an overview of the ESDP initiative and its long-term objectives, noting that the programme plays a vital role in enabling local youth, particularly women, to become self-reliant through enterprise development.
The ESDP is a key component of the RAMP initiative in Jammu and Kashmir, with an overall budget allocation of ₹1.5 crore for 108 training programmes targeting 3,240 beneficiaries across all districts. The 20-day curriculum includes business management, marketing, simulations, field exposure, and enterprise planning.
The Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) programme is a World Bank-assisted national programme aimed at enhancing the productivity, market access, and resilience of the MSME sector. In J&K, it is being implemented under the leadership of JKTPO and supervision of the Industries & Commerce Department. The programme focuses on institutional strengthening, market development, digitalization, and financial access to support micro, small, and medium enterprises.
The visit by top officials to Reasi reflects the government’s commitment to fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem and ensuring the effective delivery of skill-based programmes at the grassroots level.