Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday called for greater focus on skill development and vocational education, stressing that preparing youth for the future job market must go hand in hand with formal education.
“We cannot give government jobs to everyone. If we have to prepare our children for the future, we have to give them the skills to compete in the job market, whether in Jammu and Kashmir, elsewhere in the country or abroad,” the chief minister said as he laid the foundation stone for developmental works at Kashmir Government Polytechnic, Srinagar, and e-inaugurated infrastructure upgrades worth ₹4.20 crore across Government Polytechnics in Kishtwar, Ramban, Kulgam and Kupwara.
He emphasised that skill development programmes must be aligned with emerging market requirements and the employment opportunities being created in sectors such as tourism, agriculture, horticulture, manufacturing, construction, healthcare and technology.
The chief minister called for regular review of courses and training programmes in ITIs and polytechnics so that outdated skills and equipment are replaced with training relevant to contemporary industry requirements, an official press release said.
He said the level of attention given to universities should also be extended to the skill-development network of ITIs and polytechnics, including improvement of infrastructure, training quality and modern equipment.
Highlighting the employment potential emerging from major projects in J&K, he said the skill-development ecosystem must be designed around the requirements of upcoming investments and industries.
The chief minister also said the government would work to strengthen the network of skill-development institutions over the next three years and improve their infrastructure and quality.
He further stressed the need to ensure greater employment opportunities for local youth in industries and projects coming to J&K, saying companies should be encouraged to employ trained local youth before looking outside the region for skilled manpower.
The chief minister said J&K’s objective should not be merely to send labour outside but to prepare skilled professionals capable of securing better-paying employment and competing in international markets.
He also felicitated students who secured overseas placements, underscoring the government’s commitment to strengthening technical education and creating meaningful employment opportunities for J&K’s youth.
Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, MLA Lal Chowk Sheikh Ahsan Ahmed, MLA Karnah Javed Ahmed Mirchal, Secretary Skill Development Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Director Skill Development Department Dr Owais Ahmed, Principal Kashmir Government Polytechnic Srinagar Shafqat Ara, faculty members and students were present on the occasion.
The Chief Minister also chaired the 91st Board of Directors meeting of Jammu Development Authority (JDA) and 85th Board of Directors meeting of Srinagar Development Authority (SDA), to discuss proposals regarding amendments to be made in the Master Plans of Jammu and Srinagar, an official press release informed.
It said Chairman SDA Shabir Hussain Bhat and Chairman JDA Rupesh Kumar made separate presentations on the proposed plans.
The discussions covered proposed amendments, public feedback, regulatory requirements and measures for planned and sustainable urban development.
For Srinagar, the meeting discussed Town Planning Schemes, safeguards for Dal, Nigeen and other water bodies, alignment with J&K Unified Building Bye-Laws-2021, and reforms to simplify land-use zoning and building permissions.
The Revised Jammu Master Plan-2032 was also discussed for 15 planning zones, rationalisation of land-use categories, geo-referenced mapping and aligning major infrastructure projects in the plan document Environmental and heritage safeguards, including protection of the Tawi riverbed and watercourses, were also deliberated upon.
The chief minister stressed the need to balance planned urban growth, reforms for ease of doing business, addressing public concerns and ensuring environmental protection while finalising the proposed Master Plans.
The meetings were attended by Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, ACS Finance Shailendra Kumar, ACS PWD Anil Kumar Singh, Commissioner Secretary Planning, Monitoring & Development Department Alice Vaz, Commissioner Secretary Housing & Urban Development Mandeep Kaur, Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir, Commissioner Secretary Law, Deputy Commissioners of Jammu and Srinagar, Commissioners of Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Jammu Municipal Corporation and other concerned officers.
Jammu-based officers attended the meeting through video conferencing.
