Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Friday said India has witnessed a transformational rise in entrepreneurship, with the number of startups crossing the two lakh mark, making the country the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world.

Addressing a startup camp organised by the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) in Jammu, the minister said the growth reflects a major shift in the country’s innovation culture. “In just a few years, we have grown from 350–400 startups to more than two lakh. Today, the results speak for themselves and show how far we have come,” he said.

Singh said the surge also highlights that young people always had talent and potential, but it was not being properly channelised earlier. Highlighting Doda as the birthplace of the ‘Purple Revolution’ under the Startup India movement, he said the initiative has earned nationwide recognition and is now being celebrated across the country.

“From Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to Arunachal Pradesh and even Nagaland, almost all Himalayan states are part of this celebration,” he said.

The minister said the region has emerged as a new hub of youth entrepreneurship, with agriculture at its core. “For a long time, startups were seen as synonymous only with IT, but agriculture is a vast sector with immense potential. India’s 10,000-km-long coastline also offers enormous opportunities,” he added.

Referring to the Startup India and Stand Up India initiatives launched in 2014 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Singh said they marked a decisive turning point. “Earlier, there was confusion about what startup and standup meant, but once enabling support was provided, people surged ahead,” he said.

Emphasising inclusive growth, Singh said 45 to 50 per cent of startups are now emerging from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, breaking the myth that innovation is confined to metros such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Hyderabad. He also dismissed the notion that higher academic degrees are necessary for entrepreneurship. “Many successful startups are being run by people who have not even completed graduation,” he said.

Citing the lavender mission as a model initiative, the minister said its success was driven by on-the-spot distillation units, strong market linkages and access to markets as far as Mumbai. “The government is providing every kind of support — technological, market and financial,” he said.

Singh also highlighted the growing role of women entrepreneurs, stating that nearly 60,000 to 65,000 of the two lakh startups are women-led. “The lavender success story has broken several myths — that only scientists can lead, that women cannot lead, and that startups must be based in big metros,” he said.

Calling for greater passion, mentorship and guidance, Singh said small towns are full of talent. “If you speak to these young girls for just two minutes, you will understand their capability. We must hand-hold them and give them direction at the right stage,” he said, citing the Vigyan Jyoti scheme as an example of early-stage support for students.

Fresh snowfall was reported across several higher reaches of Kashmir on Friday evening as winter conditions tightened their grip on the region, bringing much-needed snow to alpine areas and enhancing the seasonal snow cover.

According to official sources, the Gurez plains received around two inches of fresh snowfall, while Drass recorded about one inch. Zojila Pass also witnessed nearly two inches of snow, affecting vehicular movement along the strategic mountain corridor.

Sadhna Pass, which connects parts of north Kashmir, received between two and three inches of snowfall, further strengthening the winter snowpack in the upper reaches.

Several popular tourist destinations also experienced light snowfall. Gulmarg recorded about one centimetre of fresh snow, while Doothpathri and Sonamarg witnessed light snow during the day.

Meteorological officials said the snowfall remained largely confined to higher elevations, while lower areas of the Kashmir Valley stayed mostly cloudy under cold conditions. They added that night temperatures are likely to dip further in snow-covered regions.

Meanwhile, the authorities have advised travellers, transporters and residents of higher reaches to exercise caution, particularly while crossing mountain passes, as fresh snowfall could make roads slippery and hazardous.

The Jammu and Kashmir Government on Friday ordered the promotion of 11 Section Officers to the post of Under Secretary in the J&K Secretariat (Gazetted) Service-I.

According to Government Order No. 73-JK(GAD) of 2026, issued by the General Administration Department, the promotions have been approved on the recommendations of the Departmental Promotion Committee and the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission.

As per the order, the promoted officers have been placed in Pay Level-8 (₹47,600–1,51,100), with effect from the dates indicated against their respective names.

The officers promoted include Ramesh Kumar Bhat, Kuldeep Raj (SC), Ramesh Kumar Raina-I, Rajesh Kumar Sapolia, Salochina Koul, Pardeep Singh Samyal, Ayub Farooq Bhat, Nusrat Shah, Rajinder Kumar, Sham Lal, and Ishwar Dutt.

The government has clarified that these promotions shall remain subject to the outcome of any writ petitions, if any, pending before the competent courts of law.

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Thursday attached the immovable property of a Pakistan-based terror handler in Poonch district following court directions in connection with a case registered at Mandi Police Station, officials said.

The attached property comprises 10 kanal and 14 marlas (approximately 58,261.5 square feet) of land located in Mandi tehsil, with an estimated value of Rs 22.05 lakh.

According to officials, the land belongs to Abdul Aziz, a resident of Chamber Kanari, who is currently operating as a terror handler from Pakistan. They said the accused had earlier exfiltrated to Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and has since been involved in activities inimical to the security and sovereignty of India.

Aziz was declared a proclaimed offender by the court after he continued to evade the legal process. Despite repeated attempts by the Poonch Police to arrest him, he remained at large, which led the court to order the attachment of his property.

The attachment was carried out by the police in coordination with the Revenue Department after completing all legal formalities, including verification and documentation, the officials added.

Police said the action is part of the ongoing crackdown on terror networks and their supporters and is aimed at disrupting the financial and logistical support systems of terrorist elements operating from across the border.

The Jammu and Kashmir government is striving to make the scenic Union Territory an attractive destination for filmmaking once again, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said on Thursday, stressing the need to build local talent and modern post-production infrastructure.

Talking to reporters during his visit to the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT) in Mumbai, the Chief Minister said that reviving the film industry in J&K requires strong institutional support and world-class training facilities.

“We are trying to make films in Jammu and Kashmir again. We are trying to restore the film industry in J&K. And if we want Jammu and Kashmir to become an attractive destination for filmmaking, then human talent and post-production capability must be created locally, and that is where a relationship with an institution like IICT becomes important for us,” Abdullah said.

The Chief Minister visited the IICT campus at the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Mumbai, to explore avenues for institutional collaboration and student exchange between the institute and the J&K government.

He said IICT and NFDC are working towards establishing a formal relationship so that students from Jammu and Kashmir can come to Mumbai and learn modern techniques of post-production, editing, sound and lighting, among other skills.

“IICT and NFDC are establishing a formal relationship so that our students come here and learn new ways of post-production, editing, sound, light, among others,” he said.

Omar Abdullah expressed hope that in the future, the hub-and-spoke model adopted by IICT, with its main campus in Mumbai and satellite centres elsewhere, could also be extended to Jammu and Kashmir.

“It will be possible that one day IICT’s satellite campus will be established in Jammu and Kashmir. Today, what we have seen is that IICT has established magnificent infrastructure here in a very short time. We would like to see human talent being made available in the Union Territory, which will help bring down costs and also create jobs in J&K,” he added.

Notably, the hub-and-spoke model is an organisational structure with a central hub and interconnected centres.

According to IICT’s website, the institute is India’s lighthouse for AVGC-XR (Animation, VFX, Gaming, Comics and Extended Reality). It has been established with the support of the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the Maharashtra government and leading industry bodies FICCI and CII.

As the national nodal organisation for AVGC-XR, IICT brings together academia, industry, technology and policy to nurture talent, drive innovation and strengthen India’s global competitiveness in creative technologies.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday interacted with the youth who returned after representing the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir at the 29th National Youth Festival – Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2026 held in New Delhi.

The Lieutenant Governor congratulated the J&K UT contingent for their exemplary performance on the national stage and lauded their contribution in showcasing the talent, innovation and potential of the youth from the Union Territory.

During the interaction, the Lieutenant Governor encouraged the youth to adopt four mantras in life — knowing one’s inner self, finding the inner voice, learning through experiences and fostering collaboration — to achieve success and contribute meaningfully to nation-building.

The J&K UT contingent participated under two tracks — the Viksit Bharat Challenge Track and the Cultural & Innovation Track. Suvidha (Topic: Innovation with Tradition, Building a Modern Bharat), Kum Kum (Building Future-Ready Workforce for Viksit Bharat), Mridul (Fit Bharat, Hit Bharat) and Nitish (Building Sustainable and Green Viksit Bharat) were selected for the final PPT round and presented their ideas before the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

The J&K team comprising Salik Aijaz Khan, Saliq Bashir and Adnan Ferdos secured third position at the national level for their Hackathon project A.N.T.S (Disaster Resilient System). Meanwhile, Sheikh Anzar Amin was selected for the PM Gallery for inventing an Automatic Gas Regulator for LPG gas heaters.

Yasha Mudgal, Commissioner/Secretary to Government, Youth Services and Sports; Anuradha Gupta, Director General, Youth Services and Sports; and other senior officers and officials who accompanied the contingent were also present during the interaction.

The Lieutenant Governor reiterated the administration’s commitment to nurturing innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship among the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and assured them of full support in turning their ideas into impactful initiatives.