Ruby Sharma, a national-level Kabbadi player from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur, takes pride in guiding residents in her village in availing benefits of the government’s welfare schemes and policies.
As a member of a Youth Club started by the Jammu and Kashmir administration, Sharma has been trained as a volunteer to provide people with details of the schemes such as the Mudra Loans and help the elderly and the unlettered fill out forms for enrolling in schemes.
“It is a good feeling to be able to do something for others,” said Sharma, who is pursuing a master’s from the Indira Gandhi National Open University.
Ruby is among the 4,450 youth club volunteers, who have been trained in Udhampur alone.
Anil Sharma from Kishtwar, who recently graduated from the Jammu University and is among the 2000-odd members of the youth clubs across 136 Panchayats in Kishtwar, said the training he received has instilled a sense of purpose in him.
“While I am preparing for further studies, I have this opportunity to create awareness about schemes that can empower people around me.”
The clubs were started in 2021 to offer the youth in the Union Territory an opportunity to become changemakers. According to a functionary, 4,290 clubs have been set up with an initial outlay of ₹12.50 crore.
“These volunteers are trained to work through real challenges and make meaningful change. These volunteers develop a civic identity as leaders and change-makers, and become more socially and politically active,” the functionary said.
The volunteers have been trained in collaboration and problem solving to help them navigate challenges at the workplace and in their personal lives.
The initiative was approved by the Governing Body of Mission Youth, headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, at its first meeting in June 2021.
The volunteers are being trained in all aspects of government schemes. They will be part of emergency and crisis management plans and subsequently be involved in planning and decision-making.
“The youth clubs are also provided special incentives in the form of grants in aid to support their activities. An amount of ₹7 crore has been provided as a grant in aid for specified activities of the youth clubs in the financial year 2021-22. Youth Engagement programmes have been convened in all districts through these youth clubs and more than 200,000 youth have been associated with the programme,” the functionary said.
The clubs also intended to serve as a point for engagement of the youth and to particularly ensure that they do not fall for radical propaganda, the functionary said. The clubs are a part of the ongoing initiatives such as skill development programmes, sports clubs, and cultural programmes.