The Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration is India’s highest award in civil services and recognises exceptional achievements in public administration. The award is given to individuals, teams, and organisations for their outstanding contributions to public service.
The Jammu and Kashmir government’s flagship initiative, “Mission Youth,” designed to empower youth, has been awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration under the Innovation (State) category. The initiative has launched more than 15 schemes for youth, including education, skilling, coaching, volunteerism, and the effective use of technology for service delivery. Over the last two years, more than 61,000 youth have benefited from these schemes and close to 5 lakh youth have been engaged. The initiative has been selected for its innovations that have led to the empowerment of youth in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mission Youth is aimed at providing skill development, entrepreneurship, and employment opportunities to the youth of the region. The programme has indeed brought about significant changes in the lives of young people in Jammu and Kashmir. One of the main objectives of the programme is to provide vocational training to the youth, which has helped them acquire new skills and improve their employability. This has led to the creation of new job opportunities in various sectors, including tourism, hospitality, and IT. Mission Youth has also encouraged entrepreneurship among young people by providing them with financial assistance and other forms of support to start their businesses. This has not only created new businesses but also helped in the growth of existing ones, thereby generating more employment opportunities. The programme has also helped promote sports and cultural activities among the youth of the region. The programme has provided them with new opportunities and helped build their confidence, self-esteem, and overall well-being.
Baramulla district in Jammu and Kashmir has also achieved a milestone as Deputy Commissioner Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar received the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration-2022 in the category of Aspirational Districts Programme. Dr Asgar has brought transformative changes to the identified parameters envisaged in the said programme, including the establishment of birth waiting wards in primary health centres and community health centres, the upgrade of diagnostic services at all delivery points, and Poshan Tracker Tabs for all Anganwadi workers. The district has also achieved 100% saturation in milk production, reduced severe acute malnutrition to 0.01 per cent from 3 per cent, and achieved a surplus in milk production. The Baramulla district has introduced a two-year paramedical diploma course aimed at addressing the shortage of trained healthcare professionals. The course is specifically designed for 300 students residing in border areas.
The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched in January 2018 by the Prime Minister, aims to transform 112 of the most underdeveloped districts in India quickly and effectively. The programme is focused on convergence, collaboration, and competition to achieve development through a mass movement. The ranking is based on the incremental progress made across 49 key performance indicators under five broad socio-economic themes: health and nutrition, education, agriculture and water resources, financial inclusion and skill development, and infrastructure.
It is indeed a moment of pride for Jammu and Kashmir, as two of its initiatives have received the prestigious award. The LG, the Chief Secretary, and the whole team of concerned officers deserve much appreciation for their award-winning efforts. It is a moment to cherish and a motivation to perform for others.
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