SKEWPY right initiative to tackle unemployment: Omar

Srinagar: Terming SKEWPY right initiative to combat unemployment crisis in the State, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Wednesday asked the educated youth to take best advantage of this programme to seek respectable self acquired livelihood.
Laying foundation of Rs. 14.60 crore Hostel Building at Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) Complex here, the Chief Minister said that Micro, Small and Medium Entrepreneurship (MSME) sector offers encouraging promises to youth.
“There is huge potential in agriculture, horticulture, tourism, IT and allied sectors to venture upon and seek economic prosperity for one’s own self and the State”, he said adding that Government is willingly providing all sorts of facilities to the locals to make career in these fields and be part of the holistic industrial development in the State.
Government has flagged MSME sector as one of the important concerns, he said adding that budding entrepreneurs are being encouraged by way of providing financial support, marginal money and loans to do business in this field and earn livelihood for themselves and many more others.
“While Government is resorting to different courses to provide enhanced job opportunities to the educated youth in Government sector”, he said maintaining that the unemployment crisis of the magnitude presently prevailing requires a multi-pronged strategy to deal with. He said that his Government is working on this kind of planning to expand the job-market for the youth in government and private sectors.
The Chief Minister said that skills development programmes and launch of job-oriented courses in higher educational institutions in the State have been put on focus. He said a chain of new polytechnics, ITIs and degree colleges approved to cover all areas in the State, is an important step in this direction.
“We have to prepare our boys and girls to compete in the open market and make them prove their mettle efficiently”, he said adding that JKEDI and other technical institutions in the State have to render their valuable services in this direction. He asked the Industries Department to encourage MSME sector and make youth aware of the facilities and assistance available to them in this regard.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Guest House at the Complex which has been constructed at a cost of about Rs. 3 crores.
Minister for Industries, S. S. Slathia highlighted the provisions of industrial policy and presented resume of the new initiatives taken by the Omar-led Government to encourage industrialization in the State. He said locals are being provided with special facilities for launch of different ventures in different feasible fields.
Slathia said that the construction of hostel building at JKEDI Complex would facilitate the trainees and make their stay comfortable in the institute. The Industries Minister later reviewed the functioning of JKEDI at a meeting of the officers there.
Director JKEDI, Mohammad Ismail Parrey informed that the hostel complex will be having accommodation capacity for 200 persons. It would comprise of 4-bedded 24 rooms, 3-bedded 12 rooms and 2-bedded 24 rooms besides 2 dormitories for 10 persons each.