SRINAGAR, May 16: KMTTMI, in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry – J&K Chapter (CII J&K), today submitted a formal proposal to Dr. Shafquat Ara, Principal, Government Polytechnic College, Gogji Bagh, Srinagar, for establishing a certified skill development programme exclusively for women in the fields of Automotive Repair, Maintenance and Electric Vehicle (EV) Technology.
The initiative is spearheaded by Ufair Ajaz Kitab — Founder & Director of Kitab Mobility, Convenor of the CII J&K Skill Development Panel, and Director at KMTTMI — and aims to create a skilled pool of women technicians capable of entering the automotive workforce or establishing their own service enterprises.
The programme will be conducted at Government Polytechnic College, which will provide infrastructure, workshop facilities, and institutional support.“The automotive sector is undergoing a revolution — from combustion engines to electric mobility.
We want the women of Kashmir to not just witness this revolution, but to lead it, from the workshop floor to their own enterprises.”— Ufair Ajaz Kitab, Founder & Director, Kitab Mobility | Convenor, Skill Development Panel, CII J&K
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME
Training will cover four areas: General Purpose Engine Repair & Maintenance, Two-Wheeler Servicing & Diagnostics, Electric Vehicle (EV) Maintenance, and Car Repair & Maintenance.
Candidates who complete the programme will receive certification from KMTTMI following practical assessment and competency evaluation.
Placement support will be offered with authorised service centres, EV facilities, fleet companies, and mobility service providers.
Selected candidates may also be supported in setting up their own women-led micro-workshops and service centres through KMTTMI’s incubation framework, with financial linkage available under schemes such as the Mission YUVA Nano Scheme.
EQUALITY IN PRACTICAL SHAPE
Kitab emphasised that the initiative goes beyond skills training — it is a direct response to the rigid division of labour that has historically excluded women from technical trades.
He argued that equality must be demonstrated in practical terms: in who stands at the workbench, who holds the diagnostic tool, and who earns a fair wage at the end of the month.
A central commitment of the programme is income parity. Women graduates will be positioned as certified technicians — not helpers or assistants — ensuring their professional standing in the labour market.
CII J&K’s industry network will be actively engaged to promote equal wages for programme graduates. “A skill without equal pay is half a liberation. Parity of income is not a demand we are making — it is a standard we are building into this programme from day one.” _ Ufair Ajaz Kitab
THE MAN BEHIND THE IDEA
Ufair Ajaz Kitab’s commitment to women’s mobility in Kashmir has deep roots. As a director of Kashmir Motors, he was the architect of the Scooty Revolution that transformed the lives of Kashmiri women in the early 2000s.
At a time when women riding two-wheelers was considered socially unthinkable — and when his campaigns drew opposition from hardline voices — Kitab persisted.
He launched the ‘Women-on-Wheels’ programme, conducted road safety seminars reaching nearly 3,000 girls across Srinagar’s colleges, and worked with J&K Bank to introduce accessible scooty loan schemes.
The result is visible on every street in the city today: young Kashmiri women on scooties, independent and mobile, on their own terms. He has since founded Kitab Mobility Private Limited to extend that legacy into new-era automotive enterprise
.PARTNERS IN THE INITIATIVE
The programme is co-supported by the CII J&K Women Leadership Panel, co-convened by Haya Qazi. The convergence of the Skill Development and Women Leadership panels within CII’s structure gives the initiative both technical grounding and policy depth.
