Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister
Omar Abdullah that he would persuade Indian corporations to
hold recruitment fairs in the state for educated and skilled
youth.
"They will help greatly to expand employment
orbit for the unemployed," Omar said while asserting that
creation of employment for youth is top priority for his
government.
While reviewing the progress of S K Employment and
welfare programme (SKEWP)that was launched by the state
government last April, he said various measures were afoot to
address unemployment crisis and provide job opportunities to
the youth in both the government and the private sector.
According to official figures five lakh men and women are
unemployed in the state. Omar emphasised on revisiting the
norms of Voluntary Service Allowance (VSA) scheme to bring
more people under its ambit.
"The provisions of the scheme need to be reviewed," he
said while asking concerned departments to suggest measures
for making the scheme more viable and easy for the youth. He
stressed for early completion of targets set by District
Employment Counselling Centers to one year.
Abdullah also stressed on the need for concerned
departments to work in coordination and speedily carry forward
the construction programme for the counselling centres.
"There should be simultaneous capacity building with the
building of complexes," he said and asked the officers of
Employment Department and J&K Entrepreneurship Institute
(JKEDI) to fast track counselling programmes for the youth
intending to start their own ventures.
Omar said he would again review the progress of the
employment programme in September this year. The Chief
Minister asked the Jammu and Kashmir Bank and the Employment
Department to finalise the MoU to provide easier access to see
money to youth intending to start their own ventures.
The Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather, Minister for
Higher Education and Employment, Abdul Gani Malik, Minister of
State for Power, Shabir Ahmad Khan, Chief Secretary, S S Kapur
and Economic Advisor to the Government,Jalil Ahmad Khan also
attended the meeting.
PTI
