The issue of employment generation has been a longstanding concern in Sikkim. The Government of Sikkim, with a people-centric approach and a vision to mitigate unemployment while fostering self-employment opportunities, has introduced the Skilled Youth Start-Up Scheme. This initiative aims to create balanced entrepreneurial prospects in both rural and urban areas of the state, focusing particularly on educated unemployed youth. Through this scheme, it is expected that the state will generate more employment which in turn reduces the unemployment rate of the state, In this article, we are going to talk about the “Skilled Youth Start-Up Scheme” in detail. 

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What is the Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024?

The “Skilled Youth Start-Up Scheme” was officially launched on August 15, 2020, by the Commerce & Industries Department of the Government of Sikkim. The scheme was devised with the overarching vision of mitigating unemployment and fostering ample self-employment opportunities over the long term. SYSS aims to create balanced entrepreneurial prospects in both rural and urban areas of Sikkim, focusing particularly on educated unemployed youth. 

These individuals are encouraged to become self-employed by establishing ventures in Manufacturing, Service, Business, Cooperative, Agriculture, and Allied Activities. The scheme facilitates this through loans categorized by type, with back-ended subsidy assistance from the State Government set at 50% for Below Poverty Line (BPL) beneficiaries and 35% for others, based on financially viable and bankable project costs.

Under this scheme, a maximum project cost of Rs 5 Lakh to Rs 20 Lakhs will be taken care of through subsidy assistance and loan. One should be in between 18 to 45 years of age to be able to apply for this scheme. Also, you have to have a minimum educational qualification of Class 5th is required. For technical business, you need to have a related certificate. 

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024 Key Highlights
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Launch Date	August 15, 2020,
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024 Official Website	SYSS Official Website
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Objective	To provide self-employment opportunities to the Educated Unemployed Youth of Sikkim
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024 Beneficiary	Educated Unemployed Youth of Sikkim
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024 Age Limit	18 to 45
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024 Department	Department of Commerce and Industries
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024 Income Limit	8 lakhs per annum.
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Minimum Educational Qulafication	Class 5
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Subsidy Rate	50% for BPL and PWD35% for others
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024 Mode of Application	Offline
Skilled Youth Startup Scheme 2024 Helpline Number	09775979806. 09609876534.

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Objective 2024

To foster entrepreneurial qualities among local unemployed youth and inspire them to establish commercially viable and bankable business ventures, spanning various sectors such as agriculture, horticulture, food processing, animal husbandry, handloom and handicrafts, retail, tourism, services, manufacturing, etc. The aim is to align with the State Government’s policies.

Additionally, the objective is to create balanced entrepreneurial opportunities in both rural and urban areas of the State. This involves facilitating the establishment of new self-employment ventures or projects by offering one-time non-refundable financial assistance at a rate of 50% for specific beneficiaries (like Below Poverty Line individuals) and 35% for others, with a back-ended subsidy upon project approval by the relevant financial institutions such as banks or public sector enterprises.

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Maxmimum Project Cost 

Category	Maximum Project Cost Admissible
Animal Husbandry, Agriculture & Allied activities
1. Dairy	5 lakhs
2. Poultry	3 lakhs
3. Piggery	5 lakhs
Organic Farming – Greenhouse	3 lakhs
Food Processing and other manufacturing sectors	10 lakhs
Wood Handicraft & Cottage Industries	10 lakhs
Metal Fabrication works	10 lakhs
Tourism – Paragliding, Mountain cycling, etc.	10 lakhs
Rural Homestays	15 lakhs
IT & IT enabled services	10 lakhs
Cutting and tailoring for Cooperative registered societies	20 lakhs
Bakery & Restaurants **	15 lakhs
Beauty Parlours/Boutique/Grocery/Manihari & other Retail shops	10 lakhs
Coaching Institute/Training Centre	5 lakhs
Herbal Products Industry including Nurseries	10 lakhs
Paper bags/Paper plates	10 lakhs
Bamboo based Industry (Cane & Bamboo)	10 lakhs
Automobile Workshop Garage/Car spa	10 lakhs
Diagnostic Centres	20 lakhs
Film Industry/Film Auditorium (Mini size) excluding construction	20 lakhs
Any Other Project which the Committee deems to be fit for funding	Nominal funding

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Eligibility Criteria:

• The applicant must possess a Certificate of Identification (COI) for themselves or their father, indicating Sikkim Subject Certificate, Certificate of Identification, or Residential Certificate for urban areas.
• Unemployed individuals with a minimum educational qualification of Class 5th from any recognized school are eligible. For technical projects, manufacturing, and the service sector, applicants should hold a certificate from a Technical Institute.
• Applicants should fall within the age group of 18 to 45 years at the time of applying.
• Only one member from a family is eligible to avail the benefits under the Scheme.
• The family income should not exceed 8 lakhs per annum. The ‘family’ includes self, spouse, and children for married applicants, while for unmarried beneficiaries, it includes parents and unmarried siblings. In the case of government servants, only ‘C’ and ‘D’ employees’ children can avail of this benefit.
• The scheme comprises a subsidy and a contribution of 5% from the beneficiary towards the project cost.
• The beneficiary should not be a defaulter to any nationalized bank, financial institution, or cooperative bank.
• Individuals who have previously availed subsidies under CMSS/PMEGP are not eligible under this scheme.
• A trade license is mandatory for all kinds of projects/businesses.
• Applicants falling under the Persons with Disabilities (PWD) category will be given priority and can avail a 50% loan subsidy.

Other Eligibility Conditions:

• Project cost will include Capital Expenditure and three months’ working capital requirement for the venture, depending on the project.
• The cost of the land should not be included in the project cost.
• The cost of ready-built, as well as long lease or rental workshed/workshop/shop, can be included in the project cost, with a maximum restriction of 2 years.

Promoter’s Contribution on Project Cost:

The contribution of the beneficiary shall range from 5% to 15% of the sanctioned project cost, depending on the norms set by the bankers.

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Documents Required 

• Two recent passport-sized photographs.
• Attested Sikkim Subject Certificate/Certificate of Identification/Residential Certificate for urban areas.
• Attested copy of the mark sheet and certificate issued by the Board.
• Attested copy of the Birth Certificate/Certified by the local Panchayat.
• Two sets of proposals with a Project Report prepared and certified by the relevant Line Department.
• Copy of the Electoral Voter Card as proof of address.
• Copy of the valid Unemployment Card issued by the respective Block Administrative Center (BAC).
• Land Parcha & Land Lease Agreement, if necessary for the project.
• Relevant permits/licenses at the time of sanction of the bank loan.
• Below Poverty Line (BPL) certificate from the Department of Economic, Statistics & Monitoring Evaluation (DESME).
• (Income certificate issued by the concerned Block Development Officer (BDO)/Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Office.
• No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Sikkim Agro-Based Industries Corporation (SABCO)/Sikkim Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (SIDICO).

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Training Period 

Upon the identification of beneficiaries, a three-day Entrepreneur Development Training Programme will be organized by RSETI or any proficient Government Training Institute. Upon successful completion of the training, the institute will issue certificates. However, the training must be concluded within 60 days from the date of beneficiary selection by the Committee. The prescribed Entrepreneur Development Program (EDP) training is obligatory before the disbursement of loans by the banks.

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Loan Repayment:

The repayment of the loan, including interest acquired from the bank, is the sole responsibility of the applicant, adhering to the terms and conditions set by the bank. If the beneficiary intends to settle the loan account before the scheduled completion period, approval from the Commerce & Industries Department is required. For agriculture & allied activities, beneficiaries are free to close the loan after one year, while for other projects, a lock-in period of 3 years applies.

Please Note: 

Deliberate inflation of the project cost solely to obtain a higher subsidy will not be considered for approval by the Committee.

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Selection of Beneficiaries 

• Applicants must submit the Application Form in hard copies to avail benefits under the Scheme.
• The District Industries Center will receive the application, along with the required documents as per the scheme guidelines.
• The District Industries Center will issue an acknowledgment, indicating the application ID.
• A Selection Committee, chaired by the General Manager DIC and comprising members from relevant line departments, will examine up to 30 applications in one sitting for in-principle approval.
• The in-principle approved list will be forwarded to Headquarters for information.
• Exaggeration in the project cost solely to obtain a higher subsidy will not be considered for approval by the Committee.

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Application Process 

• You need to first download the Skilled Youth Startup Scheme Application Form PDF. 
• Very carefully fill in the application form and enter the personal details. 

• After that, you have to submit your application, along with a Detailed Project Report and Mandatory Documents to the General Manager, DIC (E/N)/(S/W), Govt. of Sikkim, Gangtok/Jorethang.
• The District Industries Center will verifiy requisite documents, and issues an acknowledgment indicating the Application ID.
• The Selection Committee examines the project for in-principle approval and forwards the list to Headquarters for information.
• The committee, led by the Secretary of the Commerce & Industries Department, advises the Selection Committee on sanctioning the back-end subsidy.
• Upon sanction and disbursement of the project, the Government, through the Commerce & Industries Department, provides admissible financial assistance (50% or 35% of the approved bankable project cost) in the form of a back-ended subsidy to the relevant public sector Banks/ PSU / Financial Institutions.

Skilled Youth Startup Scheme FAQs

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