“Youth empowerment is imperative for a better tomorrow. When we empower youth, we empower the future of the Nation. Bringing socio-economic change through youth empowerment is the much-needed practice which requires concerted efforts on the part of all stakeholders to reap the intended benefits and achieve the desired results on ground.
The Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha made these remarks during a meeting he chaired to discuss the modalities for the better implementation of the upcoming Youth Empowerment programme envisioned by the UT Government for Youth Engagement and Employment.
The Lt Governor observed that the youth of J&K are inherently talented. The intended programme will prove to be an institutional mechanism for providing the necessary handholding and support to the youth to facilitate and nurture their capabilities, he added.
He asked the concerned officers to adopt the best global practices of youth engagement, besides involving business schools for case studies.
Build an atmosphere of trust and positivity amongst the youth in the region. Identify gaps and be sensitive towards the problems and needs of the youth and resolve the same through various technological and knowledge-based interventions, he added.
The Lt Governor suggested incorporating the establishment of District Youth Centres in every District. He laid special emphasis on creating opportunities for youth through Skill-development, education, sports, employment, tourism, Agri and allied sectors.
Youth engagement is about empowering young people and it is important to pave a solid foundation for the development and growth of our younger generation. The UT of Jammu & Kashmir is predominantly young in terms of its population with almost 65 percent of the population under the age of 35 years. The government is aiming to operate youth engagement programmes in the field of Sports, Livelihood generation, Recreation, Education, Counselling to effectively support and encourage young individuals to shape their future as per their aspirations, observed the Lt Governor.
Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Additional Secretary to the Government, Finance Department and CEO, Mission Youth gave a detailed presentation on the programme and briefed the Lt Governor about various aspects of youth engagement that can be considered under the youth empowerment programme.
The meeting was informed that the intended programme is conceived as a common platform where all activities on youth development would be carried out for better results.
The main objectives of the programme are to synergize all the efforts for the skill development among the youth; to provide means of institutional social outreach to the young population; to provide an institutional mechanism for psycho-social support to youth on scientific lines and to provide the youth an opportunity of livelihood generation, economic growth, social recognition, and systemic support, as and when required.
Sh. BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Sh. Shaleen Kabra, Principal Secretary to the Government, Home Department; Sh. Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Power Development Department and Information Department; Sh. Bishwajit Kumar Singh, Secretary to Government, School Education Department; Sh. Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor; Sh. Pandurang K. Pole, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; Sh. Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary to the Government, Youth Services and Sports, Tourism and Culture Departments; Dr. Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Additional Secretary to the Government, Finance Department and CEO, Mission Youth, and other senior officers attended the meeting at Raj Bhavan.