Srinagar, July 22 -- In an area where employment avenues are increasingly scarce, the prolonged delay by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) in granting food cart permissions is becoming a critical bottleneck in the entrepreneurial aspirations of Kashmir's youth. The future of scores of young people, particularly those hoping to earn through self-employment, is caught in bureaucratic inertia, with application files reportedly languishing in official corridors for months, if not years.

While youth are universally regarded as the backbone of a nation's progress, in Kashmir they are struggling to carve out livelihoods amidst limited public and private sector opportunities. For many, food carts represent a viable, dignified means of sel...