Kashmir's youth turn anger into trade and skills

Srinagar: Across the Kashmir Valley, in districts stretching from Baramulla and Kupwara in the north to Shopian and Pulwama in the south, a subtle social shift is quietly unfolding.

Youth once drawn into street protests and occasional stone-pelting are now being drawn toward structured skill-building and livelihood programmes, offering alternatives to unrest and a chance at stable employment.

Since 2019, the Jammu & Kashmir government has expanded ‘Mission Youth’, a comprehensive programme aimed at promoting entrepreneurship, vocational training, and self-employment among unemployed youth.

Complementary initiatives, including the ‘Mumkin’ and ‘Tejaswini’ schemes, provide subsidies and loans to young men and women seeking to establish small businesses or gain vocational skills. NGOs working in the Valley also provide counselling, life-skills training, and community engagement for at-risk youth, seeking to bridge the gap between anger and opportunity.

Officials note that thousands of young people across the Valley have participated in these schemes, gaining training in trades such as plumbing, electrical work, mobile repair, hospitality, and horticulture management. While official data does not specifically track former stone-pelters, anecdotal evidence and local reports suggest that some beneficiaries had previous encounters with law enforcement due to protests or minor offences.

In Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama, youth previously involved in street unrest are reported to have engaged in small-scale agricultural and horticulture initiatives. “I had multiple FIRs against me and spent years in anger,” said a 28-year-old from Pulwama, who chose to remain anonymous.

After completing a short-term training course under Mission Youth, he now runs a small tyre-repair shop. “No one believed I could change, but learning a trade gave me confidence and respect.”

In Kupwara and Baramulla, youth are taking up jobs in construction, retail, and small enterprises. NGOs highlight that many of these young men were never hardened radicals; their earlier involvement in protests often reflected a lack of direction and opportunities rather than ideology.

“Once given a skill and a chance to earn, priorities shift naturally,” said a counsellor with a Srinagar-based NGO.

Challenges remain. Many beneficiaries still face bureaucratic hurdles in accessing loans or subsidies, and some confront lingering social stigma due to their past. Experts warn that for the transformation to be durable, support must extend beyond training, encompassing ongoing employment opportunities, mentorship, and community acceptance.

Yet the overall trend points to a pragmatic lesson: opportunity, not ideology, is increasingly shaping the choices of a generation raised amid unrest. As one official in South Kashmir observed, “Empowering youth with skills and livelihoods often achieves what policing and sermons alone cannot.”

Across Kashmir, the story is still unfolding — small businesses, workshops, and training centres quietly replacing the sound of stones on streets. While the Valley’s path to complete social transformation remains long, these initiatives offer a glimpse of how work, dignity, and opportunity can slowly reshape futures.