Rangrajan panel rolls out job plan for Kashmiri youth

SRINAGAR: An expert group headed by former Reserve Bank of India governor C. Rangarajan Thursday rolled out a job plan for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, envisaging training of up to 100,000 of them to get jobs in the next five years.
The highlights of the Rangarajan committee report which was released here in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are skill development, direct employment initiatives, improving skill sets through access to education and focused placement-linked, market-driven skilled training to 50,000 to 100,000 youth in the next three to five years.
The report also recommends a special industry initiative for the state which will enhance the skills and employability of 40,000 youth in five years.
Some top corporate houses have already agreed to help the state achieve this objective, the report indicates.
It also called for a special scholarship scheme to be launched to benefit 25,000 students over a period of five years. The scheme would cover full tuition fees, books and so on and it has been recommended that Rs.1,200 crore be allocated for the scheme.
The committee has also recommended a faculty enhancement programme to persuade private schools and educational institutions outside the state to accommodate children from Jammu and Kashmir, the Delhi Public School to set aside seats for the state, and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to launch regional placement centres in Srinagar and Jammu.
“The faculty enhancement programme would help the integration of the local youth with the rest of the country,” Rangarajan said.
The committee report also has detailed initiatives on agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, tourism, handicrafts and a long term strategy for the success of IT and BPOs.
“Peace and connectivity is vital for the IT sector with emphasis on creation of infrastructure and software technology ,” it said.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdullah said that the major challenge faced by the state was not just unemployment, but also “unemployability”.
The Rangarajan committee was set up in August 2010 by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and was to submit its report within three months. However, the release was delayed and it was only released Thursday.