Govt working on new ‘Mission for Youth’
*Militancy down, still remains biggest concern
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 25: Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu said today that Jammu and Kashmir is passing through historic times and is seeing a new dawn which will bring prosperity, progress and lead the Union Territory towards peace and announced that the Government is seriously working on a `Mission for Youth’ which will be a novel and unique initiative for youth engagement.
In his first Republic Day message to the people of Union Territory of J&K, Murmu said though the incidents of militancy have come down drastically, militancy still remained the biggest concern as innocent youth are indoctrinated to take misguided path.
“There are historic times. Jammu and Kashmir is seeing a new dawn…a dawn which promises hope…a dawn which will bring prosperity…a dawn which will lead to progress and a dawn which will usher J&K towards peace,” he said.
Seeking support and confidence of the people to move forward to take Jammu and Kashmir into a refreshing era of peace, prosperity and development, Murmu said the Government has been working and dreaming really big for the people of the Union Territory.
“The Constitutional changes have opened new vistas of development,” he said in an apparent reference towards scrapping of Articles 370 and 35-A in J&K on August 5 and bifurcation of the erstwhile State into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh.
However, he added, there was a need to capitalize on the opportunities and the initiatives already taken for putting Jammu and Kashmir on the path of sustained development, required further push.
“Our efforts alone can’t make the difference. People need to come forward and supplement initiatives of the Government. We will take Jammu and Kashmir to the path of rapid growth and development as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Let us all join hands to build a new Jammu and Kashmir,” Murmu said.
He maintained that Jammu and Kashmir is now at the doorstep of a brighter future and said as the UT progresses in step with rest of the country, there will be a boost to private investment and great opportunity for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “The economy will grow with more economic opportunities, business will thrive and the people of J&K will gain on all fronts”.
Asserting that the Government is seriously working on a “Mission for Youth” which will be a novel and unique initiative for youth engagement in Jammu and Kashmir, the Lieutenant Governor said the areas of intervention would include livelihood, generation/skill development, education, financial assistance, sports including setting up of Sports Leagues, recreation, counseling and therapy and handholding support.
The initiative, Murmu said, will set up one-stop shops for the youth and enable them to lead productive lives. The ultimate objective is to channelize the energy of the youth in positive activities.
Assuring transparent recruitment with a level playing field giving opportunity to local youth, he said the Reservation Policy will be rationalized and all this will be done with a proper legal backing.
He announced that recruitments will be resumed soon.
Maintaining that militancy remained biggest concern of the Government as innocent youth are indoctrinated to take misguided path, Murmu said though incidents of militancy have come down drastically, the threat posed by it required attention not only to eradicate it but also prevent loss due to it.
He added that the security personnel need to continue to be on guard to thwart any attempts to disturb peace across Jammu and Kashmir, thereby disrupting development, growth and opportunities for peace loving people.
Murmu paid tributes to police and security forces for battling militancy and ensuring that there is public order in Jammu and Kashmir. “The nation is proud of them. We also pay homage to civilians who have fallen prey to wanton violence”.
He disclosed that new Industrial Policy 2020 for large and mega units and for MSMEs has been prepared with 14 sectoral policies in the pipeline and with a list of ready to invest projects.
“Private sector investment is the key to growth and employment. Preparation for first ever `Global Investor Summit’ for Jammu and Kashmir are in full swing. Future of J&K lies in attracting high quality investment which can create jobs for the youth,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
Murmu said the Government intends to revamp the tourism set up to make it effective and efficient. Apart from existing locations, the Government will promote new destinations in both Jammu and Kashmir provinces and there will be a separate session on tours and travels and tourism in the Investors Summit, he added.
The Lieutenant Governor also made mention of scrapping of special Constitutional provisions of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the erstwhile State into two Union Territories of J&K and Ladakh saying last year had been a year of “momentous change” for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Abrogation of temporary provisions have removed the artificial legal and economic barriers between Jammu and Kashmir and rest of the country and have fully integrated J&K in true sense of the term. Legal architecture and system prevailing in rest of the country have been made applicable here. People of J&K now stand on the same pedestal as those in rest of the country with the same rights, benefits and prospects. Women and weaker sections like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, West Pakistan refugees and Safai Karamcharis, now have equal democratic and economic rights,” he said.
He added that during last one and half years-first under the Governor’s Rule and then President’s Rule, the goal has been simple-good governance and delivering development.
“To provide good governance, a people-centric and development oriented work culture has been introduced with a focus on results. The goal has been on timely completion of projects and delivery of benefits. In future, we will take more measures to ensure that the Government is run in a rule based manner with no arbitrariness or delays. Accountability will be ensured at all levels. The primary duty of Government employees is public services and this will be ensured,” Murmu said.
Referring to restrictions imposed following August 5 Central decisions, the Lieutenant Governor said the law agencies were required to put restrictions on many fronts but they have largely been relaxed in a gradual manner.
“We facilitated people to perform their tasks even under difficult circumstances,” Murmu said and lauded the people of Jammu and Kashmir for their cooperation. He added that the restrictions were necessary owing to problems being created and propaganda from across the border.
“Our priority was that there should be no bloodshed which we have achieved,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
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