In a boost to entrepreneurship and Silk Farming in the Jammu region, Lt Governor Sh Girish Chandra Murmu today inaugurated the newly constructed, State-of-the-art Administrative cum Faculty Block of the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), besides a Government Silk Weaving Factory and Silk Filatures facility at Bari Brahamana.
Advisor to the Lt Governor, Sh KK Sharma; Chief Secretary Shri B. V. R. Subrahmanyam; Financial Commissioner Health, Sh Atal Dulloo, Commissioner Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Sh MK Dwivedi, Divisional Commissioner Jammu Sh Sanjeev Verma, Deputy Commissioner, Samba, Sh Rohit Khajuria, Senior officers of Industries and Commerce department, JKEDI, JK Industries and Health department accompanied the Lt Governor.
Addressing a huge gathering at Bari Brahamana, the Lt Governor emphasized the importance of entrepreneurship and exhorted the youth to learn from the success stories to make a difference. While inaugurating the Administrative cum Faculty complex of the JKEDI, he held that there is no dearth of talent and only a little handholding of the youth is required to give them a purposeful direction. He advised the EDI officials to ensure advanced skill development and specialized trainings to the youth in consonance with the emerging requirements.
While launching a book on the Success Stories of Entrepreneurs from Jammu and Kashmir, the Lt Governor appreciated the local entrepreneurs for scripting these success stories and felicitated them for achieving exceptional milestones in their respective ventures. ‘You are the job creators and wealth creators. Government alone cannot sustain the economy; it is the entrepreneurs like you who drive the economic engine of a country’, he added. The Lt Governor held that the dream of a 5 trillion USD economy will be a reality if the energy of youth is harnessed to its full potential. He also appreciated the executing agencies and the EDI for completion of this building in a record time, paving way for skill development and empowerment of the youth.
Meanwhile, the Lt Governor inaugurated Government Silk Weaving Factory and Government Silk Filatures at Bari Brahmana Jammu, which have been established with project cost of Rs. 16.80 crores and Rs 6.64 crores respectively in a record time of about 2 years. Both the units have been equipped with modern machinery and equipments under the expert guidance of Central Silk Board, Government of India. The Silk Filatures will provide stable market to about 10,000 farmers in the Jammu region whereas, the Silk Weaving Factory will have the capacity of producing 4,60,000 Meters of Silk fabric creating direct and indirect employment opportunities for the people.
The Lt Governor reiterated that the Government is committed to strengthening the socio-economic fabric of J&K and is always open to the ideas which can take this march forward. He said that the government is working tirelessly towards the welfare of the people and in the coming few months, a discernible change would be visible on the ground.
Advisor to the Lt Governor, Sh KK Sharma while briefing the gathering said that the facilities dedicated today would go a long way in addressing the issues of unemployed youth and the Silk Farming community. He added that 900 MT silk cocoons produced in Jammu and Kashmir couldn’t find sufficient processing facilities resulting in loss to the silk producers. With the coming of Silk Factory at Jammu, in addition to the one at Srinagar which is under reconstruction, the Silk Farmers would be able to find a ready market, fetching good returns. He added that he had been associated the held up JKEDI project, and culmination of the project is a testimony to the fact that things are moving in the right direction.
Chief Secretary B. V. R. Subrahmanyam while addressing the gathering briefed that the building of JKEDI was one of the languishing projects selected for funding under JKIDFC, and it was heartening to note that the work had been executed in a record time of less than two years, which speaks of the intensions and commitment of the government to deliver efficiently and in a transparent manner.