Jammu Tawi, Feb 06: The Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha Saturday said that the youth in India carries immense knowledge, wisdom and energy that would go in a long way to build a new future, brick by brick. They need not follow conventional wisdom or a crowd and must realize who they are & what they want.
“Be yourself. Your knowledge is about creating a new vision of life”, the Lt Governor told students, youth and other notables while addressing Harvard US-India Initiative (HUII) Annual Conference through virtual mode.
Sinha said India with more than 50% of its population below the age of 25 years and more than 65% below the age of 35 years is not only a hope for the world, but also a crucial growth driver in the post-Covid scenario, he added.
“I sincerely believe that India, with a huge young and talented population, friendly ecosystem and the trust we have managed to build that we can deliver on promises, has allowed the nation to emerge as a popular destination for global entrepreneurs and corporates”, said the Lt Governor.
India is ready to be the fulcrum of a new world order that is more just, humane, industrious, mutually beneficial and empowering, he maintained.
Quoting Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya, a great educationist and founder of the Banaras Hindu University, used to say “let righteous and dharma prevail, and all communities and societies progress. He promoted a harmonious blend of oriental and modern education, which has now been adopted in India's New National Education Policy, the Lt Governor said.
From the very first day in office, I have adopted a targeted approach to address the issues pertaining to poverty, health, nutrition, gender equality, quality education, skill development of youth etc, and have ensured that benefits of government schemes reach the last mile. For equitable development, I gave the mantra of Jan Bhageedari- People's Participation, the Lt Governor said.
Outlining various interventions made by the Government towards the holistic development of J&K and empowering the people of the UT, the Lt Governor observed District Development Council (DDC) elections in J&K have been conducted successfully and peacefully. This has strengthened the grass-root democracy, finally establishing the three-tier Panchayati Raj system, which was implemented in other states almost 28 years ago.
Last month, a new Industrial Scheme 2021 was unveiled that offers Rs 28,400 crores (3.89 billion USD) subsidy for attracting investment. J&K's Service Sector is growing at a historic pace and much ahead of many states. We are taking industries to the block level to remove the disparities. The scheme is expected to create 4.5 lakh jobs. With a view to help small and medium IT ventures in Jammu and Kashmir, we are strengthening our infrastructure and setting up new projects. Similarly, power projects worth more than Rs. 54,000 crore (7.4 billion USD) will take off in due course of time to make the Union Territory self-reliant in the energy sector. Making J&K power sufficient, we aspire to generate 3500 Megawatt in only four years to make Jammu Kashmir power surplus. It shows that no attempts were made during the last 73 years to generate opportunities for youth, the Lt Governor added.
In Health Care, universal health coverage scheme called Ayushman Bharat -SEHAT was launched recently to provide free of cost insurance cover up to Rs. 5 lakhs per household per year in J&K without any socio-economic discrimination which is the first of its kind anywhere in the Country, he added.
Multipronged strategies involving all necessary systemic interventions have been adopted. With schemes like ‘Mission Youth' and ‘Mumkin', dedicated focus was given on Livelihood Generation, Education, Skill development, Career Counseling and Financial Assistance providing the necessary handholding to the youth, he maintained.
“My goal is to reach out and engage about 80% of the young population of Jammu and Kashmir within the next five years and make it possible for them to be an engine of growth for the overall socio-economic transformation of the UT”, observed the Lt Governor.
