Kathua (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], February 3 : Pooja Devi, a woman residing in the border village of Pathwal in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, set an example of self-employment by running the first-of-its-kind Millets restaurant. As a member of a low-income household, she began her journey in pickle-making and the sale of local and domestic-use items.
Devi was encouraged by the Agriculture Department to start the Millet Restaurant under the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP) with a 50 per cent subsidy. With the support of her family, she has been receiving a positive response to the Millet restaurant, which opened a year ago.
Pooja Devi informed that she was making Dosa, millet momos, samosa, and makki and Bajra ki Roti, all of which are very healthy and free of adulteration. She is earning a handsome income and helping to bear family expenses. She is now a role model for other rural women to be self-dependent and self-reliant. She was also honoured by various government departments and the district administration with certificates in promoting women's empowerment.
Her family members are also helping run the restaurant, which has a strong reputation in this area. Pooja Devi intends to expand her work to help other women become self-reliant by making bakery products using millet flour.
Meanwhile, in a significant step towards youth empowerment and inclusive development, security forces and civil institutions in Kashmir are increasingly playing a constructive role in nurturing skills, promoting self-reliance, and strengthening the social fabric of the Valley.
Through people-centric initiatives under civic action programmes, such efforts are helping bridge the gap between education and employability, giving local youth a hopeful and productive pathway forward.
Continuing this positive momentum, the Shashtra Seema Bal (SSB) organised a one-month Skill Development-cum-Computer Training Programme for students in Srinagar. The free training programme was conducted by the 10th Battalion of SSB, in collaboration with Saving The Future (STF), a non-governmental organisation, with academic support from the Kawa Group of Institutes, Khanyar.
The training focused on Domestic Data Entry Operator skills and mobile repairing, aiming to enhance digital literacy, technical expertise, and self-employment opportunities among local youth. A total of 50 students, including both boys and girls, participated in the 31-day programme held at the International Institute of Professional Studies (IIPS), Srinagar.
Participants expressed enthusiasm, as many experienced a professional computer lab for the first time and learned under the supervision of skilled trainers. The initiative provided practical, hands-on exposure designed to help students become job-ready and confident in starting their own ventures.