KATHUA, Aug 22: Government Degree College (GDC), Kathua organised an awareness programme on Udyam Jagriti 5.0 Hackathon, a UT-wide student entrepreneurship initiative aimed at encouraging young minds to develop innovative business ideas and explore entrepreneurship as a pathway to self-employment and enterprise creation. The programme was organised by the Career Counselling and Placement Cell and Institution Innovation Council of GDC Kathua, with the active cooperation of the Departments of BBA, B.Com and Biotechnology.
The programme was held in the Smart Room of GDC Kathua under the overall supervision of Dr. Manohar Lal, Principal, GDC Kathua. The initiative was organised with the active involvement of Prof. Rakesh Singh, Convener, Career Counselling and Placement Cell, and Dr. Kehar Singh, IIC Coordinator, GDC Kathua.
During the programme, Prof. Rakesh Singh and Surjeet Kumar, Career Counselling Officer, Employment Office, Kathua, delivered an informative presentation to sensitise students about the objectives, structure and opportunities associated with Udyam Jagriti 5.0. The session highlighted the importance of entrepreneurship, business idea development and active participation in the hackathon.
The students were also shown a video message of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, which added a motivational dimension to the programme. Addressing final-year and campus students, the Lieutenant Governor encouraged them to move beyond the conventional mindset of being job seekers and aspire to become job creators through entrepreneurship initiatives under Mission YUVA.
The resource persons explained that students could participate individually or in teams and develop a viable business solution around one of the identified case problems. The submission would include a business solution in document or PPT form, along with a short video explaining the proposed idea. The three identified focus areas of Udyam Jagriti 5.0 highlighted during the session were Tourism & Hospitality, Handicrafts & Artisan Economy, and Agriculture & Food Processing.
The students were also apprised of the broader objectives of Mission YUVA, which seeks to promote entrepreneurship and employment generation in Jammu & Kashmir. Particular emphasis was laid on Neo-Innovative Enterprises, an important component of the Mission YUVA framework that provides aspiring young innovators and college students opportunities to take their business ideas forward through structured incubation, mentoring, funding and capacity-building support.
The presentation further familiarised students with potential opportunities in the three focus sectors. These included tourism and hospitality ventures such as homestay networks and digital tourism solutions; handicraft-focused enterprises involving e-commerce, artisan aggregation and GI promotion; and agriculture-related ventures involving food processing, cold-chain solutions, agri-tech and direct-to-consumer models.
Riya Jamwal, BHD Lead; Pratima Sarmal, SBDU Coordinator; and Goutam Vishnu, Young Professional, were also present on the occasion. The programme was attended by Dr. Shivani Sharma, Prof. Charandeep Handa, Dr. Pinkey, Dr. Meenakshi, Dr. Ram Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Dr. Nitasha Baloria, Dr. Kamaljot Kour, Dr. Ruchika, Dr. Anil Sharma and Prof. Sanjay Choudhary, besides students of the college.
The programme was coordinated by Dr. Goutam Singh, Mission YUVA Coordinator, GDC Kathua, whose efforts facilitated the successful conduct of the awareness programme and interaction with students.
The event provided students, particularly those nearing completion of their graduation, an opportunity to understand the emerging entrepreneurial ecosystem under Mission YUVA. It encouraged them to think creatively, identify local challenges and transform innovative ideas into viable business ventures. The programme concluded with an appeal to students to actively participate in Udyam Jagriti 5.0 and take their first step towards becoming entrepreneurs and job creators.