Lucknow, July 28
Today’s Generation Z (Gen Z) does not want to remain limited to the traditional search for jobs. This generation sees its future in innovation, technology, startups, digital business and self-reliance. Young people born after 1997 have grown up with the internet, smartphones and digital technology. In such a situation, they need not just employment, but a complete ecosystem of opportunities, guidance, networking and entrepreneurship.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had understood this changing social and economic scenario much earlier. This is why the state government has not limited itself to employment schemes alone, but has developed innovative concepts such as CM Yuva and Yuva Adda with the vision of turning youth into entrepreneurs. The objective is to take youth beyond being job seekers and turn them into employment creators.
The aim of this initiative is not merely to provide financial assistance, but to create a new entrepreneurship ecosystem for youth by making ideas, skills, technology, guidance, and markets available on a single platform. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recognized the potential of Gen Z and its important role in the workforce of the future a year ago. With this thinking, an initiative was undertaken to bridge the gap between youth and entrepreneurship. Through informal, open, and practical conversations over coffee or tea, efforts were made to connect youth with skills, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This informal yet effective model was named ‘Yuva Adda’, where youth could share their ideas in a coffee shop-like environment, interact with experts and move forward towards turning their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
Today’s youth wants more than just loans or grants. They want someone to understand their ideas, help them develop a business model, connect them with experienced mentors, simplify the banking process, and provide access to markets. Keeping these needs in mind, Yuva Adda has been developed as a comprehensive entrepreneurship ecosystem rather than a conventional training center. Here, the concept is to make everything available at one place, from business ideas to financial assistance, technical training, digital marketing, franchise models, information about government schemes, and guidance from experienced entrepreneurs. The biggest feature of Yuva Adda is that it changes the traditional approach to government service delivery.
Here, a young person is not merely a beneficiary of a scheme, but an aspirant seeking opportunities, and services have been developed according to their needs. This approach signals an important change in the system of governance. The state government realized that entrepreneurship should not begin after getting a job, but during the college and technical institution years themselves. Therefore, Yuva Adda has focused on students of universities, colleges, polytechnics and ITIs. Students are encouraged here to think, after completing their degrees, not merely about applying for jobs, but about what problems they can solve and how a successful enterprise can be established around that solution.
The Yogi government also understood that the economy of the future will be technology-driven. For this reason, special training has been arranged at Yuva Adda in Artificial Intelligence (AI), drone technology, Electric Vehicles (EVs), digital commerce, e-commerce and modern digital tools, so that the youth of the state can be prepared for global competition.
Yuva Adda does not consider its responsibility complete after providing training. Arrangements have been made here to provide continuous guidance to youth in developing business ideas, preparing project reports, obtaining bank loans, enterprise registration, GST, digital branding, Google Business Profile, WhatsApp Business, e-commerce platforms and business expansion.
Along with this, more than 100 ready-made franchise models are also being made available, which can significantly reduce the risk for youth starting a business for the first time. The concept of Yuva Adda is not limited only to cities. The government’s objective is to take it to all 75 districts of the state so that youth in small towns and rural areas can also get equal opportunities. Along with providing packaging, branding and marketing support to women’s self-help groups, special attention is also being given to giving local products a commercial identity. This is expected to strengthen the rural economy.
Yuva Adda has been developed not merely as a centre, but as an entrepreneurship platform that remains active throughout the year. Programmes such as bankers’ meets, tech fests, startup clinics, business ideation workshops, founders’ talks, Nari Shakti series, college outreach programmes and experience-sharing sessions by successful entrepreneurs are being organised regularly here.
The state government aims to connect 5 lakh youth with this initiative by 2027, provide loans of more than ₹1,000 crore, establish more than 10,000 new enterprises and franchises, and strengthen more than 25,000 MSMEs. The government believes that if youth become job providers instead of job seekers, it will not only strengthen the state’s economy but also give fresh impetus to Uttar Pradesh’s goal of becoming a one trillion dollar economy and the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Uttar Pradesh Projects Corporation Limited (UPICON) is playing an important role in implementing this entire initiative. According to UPICON MD Praveen Singh, Yuva Adda, operated by UPICON under the Mukhyamantri Yuva Udyami Vikas Abhiyan (CM Yuva), is being developed as a strong platform for entrepreneurship in the state.
Along with providing youth with facilities such as training, mentorship, project consultancy, banking assistance, digital empowerment and industry linkages, UPICON is also establishing coordination among various departments, financial institutions and industry experts. Its objective is not merely to enable youth to avail themselves of the benefits of schemes, but to turn them into successful entrepreneurs, give fresh momentum to Uttar Pradesh’s economy and make them partners in realising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s vision of a self-reliant Uttar Pradesh and a one trillion dollar economy.