Important step for State: Omar PC launches website for jobs to 40,000 JK youths

Excelsior Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Mar 26:Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today launched an interactive website aimed to facilitate job prospects for 40,000 youths from Jammu and Kashmir in a period of five years.
The website—www.Nsdcindia.Org/udaan—will be run by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC). It will act as a platform to bring the unemployed youth of Jammu and Kashmir in touch with corporates seeking talented workforce.
Eight corporate houses, including HCL, Wipro BPO and Future Group, also signed an agreement with the NSDC in the presence of Chidambaram, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council Chairman C Rangarajan who headed the expert group to formulate a job plan in this regard.
“We are facilitating a unique programme that will be run by NSDC and the corporate sector. There are four firms (under the MoU) from the software sector, a couple (firms) in retail and others in services sector. This is a good beginning,” Chidambaram said as he unveiled the new website from his office in North Block here.
The youth of Jammu and Kashmir should be encouraged to take jobs in other States. The success of this initiative lies in the hands of NSDC, corporates and the youth, he said.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said today’s event marks an important step in increasing more employment opportunities for the youth of his State.
“The youth in my State are devoid of skill sets…Hence a scheme like Udaan assumes importance. This is a tentative start from today which will grow further,” Omar said as he lauded the corporates for showing interest in the initiative.
With the signing of the agreement and the launch of the web portal, the ball has been set rolling to provide required job skills and work to 40,000 J&K youngsters over a period of five years.
Omar said the word of mouth feedback from the youngsters who get recruited through this initiative will testify the success of this plan.
“There is a parallel problem of employment which is linked with the problem of employability in the State…There is no shortage of capital investment in the state but employment opportunities are minuscule,” he said underlining the need for such an initiative.
Pointing out the salient points of the new initiative, Union Home Secretary R K Singh said that through the website they (NSDC) will track each and every youth till he/she gets employed.
Graduates, post graduates and professional degree holders will be able to post their bio-data on the website which can be viewed by corporate recruiters who will subsequently send them invitations for training.
The Rangarajan panel in this regard had suggested a two- pronged approach for employment generation in Jammu and Kashmir: (a) identifying sectoral initiatives for growth and employment generation and (b) increasing employability of youth by improving skill sets.
‘Udaan’ is targeted at providing well-paid jobs to the trained manpower in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode between the NSDC and corporate houses.
The talent pool of J&K youngsters, in the absence of job opportunities, becomes alienated and their potential in turning around the State economy is wasted.
By providing them jobs, the scheme proposes to channelise their energies into creative pursuits.
Omar said while various measures have been initiated by the State Government to tackle unemployment crisis, it is the corporate sector which has to contribute positively and willingly in expanding the employment market of educated youth of the State. He said Rangarajan Report regarding employability of educated youth has been taken well care in the ‘Udaan’ initiative which at one hand provided for enhancing skill and on the other assured job opportunities to youth in corporate sector.
The Chief Minster said that the Centre, the State and the corporate sector have to work in coordination to make ‘Udaan’ a success. He called for a joint and visible involvement of all the three in this regard. He said the signing of MoU between National Skills Development Commission (NSDC) and Corporate Sector is a welcome step aimed at successful implementation of the programme in the State.
The programmes aimed at training of 8000 qualified youth of Jammu and Kashmir outside the State annually in a period of 5 years to enhance their employability in managerial and entrepreneurial skills, financial analysis, HR, marketing, business environment analysis, entrepreneur ventures, career and personal development, software engineering, JAVA programming, hospitality and tourism, real estate, textile and clothing, media and entertainment, CNC-machine operations, automobile services and sales.
A brief presentation on ‘Udaan’ by NSDC was made on the occasion while the signing of MoU between NSDC and Corporate sector also took place.
The function was addressed by Dr C Rangarajan while Secretary Home Department delivered welcome address and Joint Secretary (Kashmir) in Home Department presented vote of thanks. The Managing Director and CEO NSDC, various senior Central and State officers, senior representatives of various companies in corporate sector were present among others on the occasion.