*Seeks support of experts in creating employment avenues
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 31: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today said that an employment policy is being framed by the UT administration and in next five years, unemployment will be over.
Speaking to the reporters on the sidelines of a workshop on Youth Engagement and Outreach at SKICC here, the LG Sinha said that today big business houses of the country participated in the workshop and deliberated on what can be done to end the unemployment.
“The basic aim of today’s workshop was to give proper counselling to the youth. At the government level, we are working on an employment policy and in the next five years, unemployment will be over,” he said.
Addressing the gathering of Policy Analysts and Corporate heads of different organisations during the inaugural session of the event, the Lt Governor said that the idea behind this Youth Engagement and Outreach workshop is to create institutional mechanism to empower and groom our youngsters and to make them valuable for J&K as well as the country.
He remarked that in the past many initiatives were taken to engage the youth here but all of them somehow fell short of meeting all the requirements so there is a need to have an umbrella programme that dovetails all the resources meant for this purpose to achieve the goal of youth empowerment and youth development.
On the occasion, he also announced that a seed fund of Rs 200 crores has been earmarked for creating initial infrastructure and institutional support for meeting the initial needs of this programme. This amount, he said, would be used to create a ‘Centre of Excellence’ and infrastructure in districts to realize our goals of making youth the leaders of success.
The Lt Governor also beckoned the industrial leaders to partner J&K in formulating and implementing the programme successfully on ground as he assumed that best designs are not what looks good on paper but what works best when implemented on ground.
He sought support of the national-level investors and industry experts in creating robust infrastructure and employment avenues for the youth of the UT. We not only need your investments but your expertise as well, which will help us realize the dreams of prosperity, he added.
Highlighting UT Government’s efforts in promoting entrepreneurship; the Lt Governor said that within one month, two aspiring entrepreneurs from each 4290 panchayats of J&K were selected for handholding and about 10 thousand people have been provided loans through the J&K Bank to establish their businesses.
We believe in Uniqueness of Youth Energy and providing Equal Opportunities for them to build a Modern, Equitable & Sustainable Society & the Nation. To bring changes to a society, the youth needs to be transformed at first. And this transformation needs to be thoughtful, he observed.
The Lt Governor said that the UT Government is aiming to build a robust infrastructure for our youth in all 6 identified focus areas and to create more favourable factors to bridge the gap between alternate scenario and current growth rate in this Union Territory. We need both your investment and expertise to achieve this.
The Lt Governor expressed the desire to conduct student knowledge and tech hackathons and to do a collective truly bottom up solutions approach consultation powered by the Corporate heads present there and with institutions of excellence like IIMs and IITs to create white papers and host multi-stakeholder roundtables for a positive agenda. I am also looking at each one of you to address both the shortages of intellectual and investment capital, said the Lt Governor.
The Lt Governor observed that valuable contribution and investment made today, will give dignity to the youth and it will restore their pride and will make Jammu and Kashmir truly a piece of art in the Country’s economy.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Secretary, BVR Subrahmanyam said that the Jammu and Kashmir Government is aiming to create a one-stop center where all the issues of youth are addressed, be it their education, their scholarships, their jobs, their skills or their entrepreneurship or self-employment.
During his welcome address, Financial Commissioner, Finance Department, Arun Kumar Mehta, said that this is an opportune time to think about youth and create an environment for them where they can showcase their talent and make strides in every field of their choice, be it academics, administration and entrepreneurship.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, CEO, Mission Youth gave a detailed presentation on the programme and highlighted that the intent of the programme is to effectively facilitate young people to shape their future as per their aspirations and wishes.
During the workshop, Ashok Leyland proposed establishment of rural schools where school dropouts could be admitted to learn skills and trained to deliver in trades which are their areas of interest.
Other Industrialists and Bureaucrats also proposed several suggestions to include in the model formulated by J&K Government regarding Mission Youth.
Prominent among others, who were also present on the occasion were Navin Kumar Choudhary, Principal Secretary to the Government, Agriculture/Horticulture, & Cooperatives Department; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to Lt Governor; Pandurang K. Pole, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir; Dr. Syed Sehrish Asgar, Director, Information and Public Relations; Rajesh Mishra IG BSF, Charu Sinha IG CRPF; Heads of various Departments; senior officers; Industrialists, Bureaucrats and experts from across the country.
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