Jammu: UT’s Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Saturday said that his goal is to reach out and engage about 80 per cent of the young population of Jammu and Kashmir within the next five years and make it possible for them to be an engine of growth for the overall socio-economic transformation of the Union Territory.
“I would like to see each child of J&K prosper into a mature, successful and good human being,” he said in his key note address at the Harvard US-India Initiative (HUII) Annual Conference through virtual mode.
Pointing out that the potential of the youth is harnessed in a way that everyone contributes towards the prosperity of the UT., he said “together we will achieve the desired goal”.
Addressing students and notable speakers from across the world, Lt Governor said that youth carrying immense knowledge, wisdom and energy is going to build a new future, brick by brick. They need not follow conventional wisdom or a crowd and must realize who they are and what they want, he added.
“Be yourself. Your knowledge is about creating a new vision of life”, the Lt Governor told the Youth.
Talking about the new dawn of developmental change Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing, the Lt Governor observed that the “narrative has changed now”. “Development has replaced terror that our neighbor has been relentlessly exports,” he added.
Referring to his targeted approach to address the issues pertaining to poverty, health, nutrition, gender equality, quality education, skill development of youth from his very first day in office, LG said that he gave the mantra of Jan Bhageedari (People’s Participation) and ensured that benefits of government schemes reach the last mile.
Multipronged strategies involving all necessary systemic interventions have been adopted. With schemes like ‘Mission Youth’ and ‘Mumkin’, dedicated focus was given on Livelihood Generation, Education, Skill development, Career Counseling and Financial Assistance providing the necessary handholding to the youth, he maintained.
In this context, he outlined various interventions made by the Government towards the holistic development of J&K and empowering the people of the UT, adding District Development Council (DDC) elections in J&K have been conducted successfully and peacefully. This has strengthened the grass-root democracy, finally establishing the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, which was implemented in other states almost 28 years ago, he added.
Last month, a new Industrial Scheme 2021 was unveiled that offers Rs 28,400 crores (3.89 billion USD) subsidy for attracting investment. J&K’s Service Sector is growing at a historic pace and much ahead of states like Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. We are taking industries to the block level to remove the disparities. The scheme is expected to create 4.5 lakh jobs, he added.
“With a view to help small and medium IT ventures in Jammu and Kashmir, we are strengthening our infrastructure and setting up new projects. Similarly, power projects worth more than Rs. 54,000 crore (7.4 billion USD) will take off in due course of time to make the Union Territory self-reliant in the energy sector.
@Making J&K power sufficient, we aspire to generate 3500 Megawatt in only four years to make Jammu Kashmir power surplus. It shows that no attempts were made during the last 73 years to generate opportunities for youth,” the Lt Governor added.
Quoting Chanakya, he said “the world’s biggest power is youth.” And, India with more than 50 per cent of its population below the age of 25 years and more than 65 per cent below the age of 35 years is not only a hope for the world, but also a crucial growth driver in the post-Covid scenario, he added.
“I sincerely believe that India, with a huge young and talented population, friendly ecosystem and the trust we have managed to build that we can deliver on promises, has allowed the nation to emerge as a popular destination for global entrepreneurs and corporates”, said the Lt Governor.