Arshid Rasool
Ask what North Kashmir’s biggest asset really is and the answer isn’t scenery; it’s people, particularly the young ones. In towns like Kupwara, Bandipora, Baramulla and Sopore, a new generation is growing up wanting more than the old templates for a “good life.” They’ve faced real difficulties, yet they keep pushing forward with clear-eyed ambition. Nobody seriously doubts this generation’s capability anymore. The harder question is turning that raw capability into jobs, businesses and achievements that actually stick. A government post has long carried enormous weight in Jammu and Kashmir: steady income, job security and status all in one package. That appeal isn’t hard to understand. But the civil service was never built to absorb an entire generation’s career hopes. So, the definition of a worthwhile career has to stretch further, toward business ownership, tech work, tourism ventures, skilled crafts, modern farming, athletics and creative fields, all of which can offer just as much fulfilment and stability.
Today more young people have access to education and training than ever before, reflecting is genuine progress. Yet a diploma by itself rarely opens doors. The real shift needed is from paper qualifications to actual, usable skills the kind that lets someone tackle real problems and produce something of value. North Kashmir’s meadows, lakes, forests and cultural richness already pull in travellers from elsewhere. That’s a business opportunity hiding in plain sight. Local young people are well positioned to launch homestays, trekking and guide services, adventure outfits, transport businesses, eateries, photography work, craft brands and online tourism platforms, turning visitors into a steady income stream. Good training and smart marketing could make the region’s natural charm the basis for real, lasting livelihoods.
Farming tells a similar story. The rural economy doesn’t have to stop at growing and selling raw crops. Real money sits in the next steps, high-value horticulture, processing, storage, smart packaging, branding and selling online. Growing food and running a food business are not the same skill set, and when produce gets processed and branded before it leaves the valley, a much bigger share of its worth stays with local people. Picture a rural economy made up not just of farmers, but of entrepreneurs building companies around what farmers grow. Then there’s technology, which has arguably done more than anything else to flatten the playing field between remote villages and big cities. A teenager with an internet connection can now learn, design, animation or digital marketing and find clients or employers anywhere on the planet. That’s a genuine break from the old model, where you waited for someone local to hand you a job. Now you can find or build opportunity from scratch well beyond the district’s borders.
Public support schemes can further accelerate this progress. When government backs self-employment and new business creation with funding and guidance, it gives young entrepreneurs a real running start. Official figures from the J&K government show that by November 2025, thousands of self-employment units had already been created under various schemes, putting more than 23,000 young people into work. The Mission YUVA initiative pushes in the same direction, organising its push around four pillars; culture, capital, capacity and connectivity. Even so, no government scheme can do this job alone. Parents, teachers, colleges, local communities and young people themselves all share responsibility. Schools and colleges should build in internships, hands-on projects, and space for new ideas, rather than treating exams as the whole point of education. Parents, meanwhile, need to widen their idea of what success looks like; someone running a growing business, mastering a niche skill, thriving in sport or breaking into a new tech field has earned just as much respect as someone in a government office.
Young people carry their own share of the load too. Opportunity means, the ability to bounce back from setbacks and a habit of constantly picking up new skills. Job markets shift quickly now and what’s valuable today may not be tomorrow. Those who stay curious and keep adapting will benefit most from whatever comes next. It really comes down to a mental shift; raw potential is what you’re born with or grow into, possibility is what you actually build from it. North Kashmir’s youth clearly have the drive, the talent and the energy already. What they need is the right conditions to convert that energy into results. Ultimately, the region’s trajectory won’t be set by roads, buildings or postcard views only, it will be set by how well its young people are supported. Get the sequence right, education feeding skills, skills feeding enterprise, enterprise reaching markets and persistence backing ambition and a real growth cycle takes hold. North Kashmir’s youth aren’t just a population statistic, they’re a driving force for the region’s economic and social future. The talent is already there. The work now is turning that talent into opportunity and opportunity into real, visible progress.
