This engineer quit his govt job to impart IT skills to poor

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 31

When Jatinder Sharma left government job to start a business venture, he had no idea efforts would take him to social entrepreneurship.

He is proud owner of a well-established, affiliated institute of computer science and technology which works for the poor and downtrodden.

The 34-year-old computer engineer completed diploma in computers and computer applications in 2004. For two years, he taught at his tuition centres in Jammu.

In 2006, he got a job in the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board as a computer hardware engineer and worked there till 2010.

“Since college days, I had decided to have my own business venture. So, I gained experience in my relevant field to make things easier for myself. In 2010, I resigned from the job and made up my mind to set up a business venture,” says Jatinder.

Jatinder approached the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute and was registered for training and finance under the Youth Start Up Loan Scheme in 2012.

Though a loan for Rs 8 lakh was sanctioned in favour of Jatinder, he opted to avail Rs 4 lakh to start the Amargyan Institute of Computer Science and Technology at Gandhi Nagar in Jammu.

Under Vocational Training Providers (VTPs), free IT training is given to poor kids.

“We have received a contract from the Jammu Urban Development Agency under a step-up scheme for urban poor. Under the National Skill Development Corporation, we provide IT training and stipend,” says Jatinder.

The institute also imparts training for making soft toys under VTPs and organises melas so that the products can be sold.

“I always wanted to be a businessman but had never thought of being a social entrepreneur,” says Jatinder, who has also employed 10 people in his institute.

Jatinder and his team now shifted its focus on a locality of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes near Jammu Airport to help them earn a decent living.

“We are more or less a social entrepreneurship development institute wherein we work for downtrodden sections. In this phase, our focus will be on SC and ST women of this Jammu locality,” Sharma said.

The institute has an annual turnover of Rs 30 lakh with net profit of Rs 5 lakh and has trained over 1,000 candidates so far.