Pillar: Opportunity Infrastructure
Darjeeling disburses ₹62,776 in small business loans per lakh population. The district trains 121.9 youth per lakh under short-term skilling, behind the typical district. The Rural Self Employment Training Institute prepares rural youth to use credit like this to start their own enterprise.
86% of registered enterprises are in services while 14% are in manufacturing. Only 9% of employment is in small and medium enterprises. 60% of school-age children are enrolled in higher secondary school (classes 9–12). Only 26% of ITI trainers are certified.
In Darjeeling, which ranks 3 of 23 in West Bengal for youth opportunity, the overall opportunity score is 52 out of 100. It runs ahead of the national picture on self-employed workers at 34.8% and young people in the labour force aged 15 to 29 at 54.6%. On skilling trainees who get certified at 98.6% and women-owned enterprises at 18.1%, it sits close to the national mark.
Mandated services and how to locate the RSETI in Darjeeling are in the Darjeeling district course and the English reference guide (Hindi). See the Darjeeling youth opportunity scorecard for the full district picture.