EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, July 10: Reemphasizing his government’s resolve to focus on economic growth through human resource development, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said there was a need for comprehensive and trade-specific Skill Development Policy in the State. Laying stress on enhancing marketability and employability of the youth, he said that there was a need also for overhauling the educational system so that the State meets present-day challenge of skill development for both domestic and foreign markets. The Chief Minister was speaking at a high-level meeting, chaired by him, to review efforts currently on for skill development in Jammu and Kashmir.
Chief Secretary, S. S. Kapur, Financial Commissioner, Planning and Development, S. L. Bhat, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production, Sonali Kumar, Principal Secretary, Information Technology, Arun Kumar, Commissioner/Secretary, Higher and Technical Education, N. K. Verma Commissioner/Secretary, Finance, Sudhanshu Pandey, Commissioner/Secretary, R&B, Mehboob Iqbal, Secretary, Tourism, Tanveer Jehan, Secretary, Education, G. A. Peer, Secretary, Rural Development, M. S. Khan, Director, Technical Education, besides other senior officers attended the meeting. Referring to the steps being taken to remove skill crunch, Abdullah emphasized the need for consolidation of technical education institutions like ITIs, along with carrying forward extension programmes. “This will enable the Department to modernize ITIs and introduce new trades for skill development,” he said, adding skill honing has to be given first preference in order to produce proficient manpower for new and existing projects including industrial ventures. Chief Minister said that his government has given employability and skill development top priority in education sector as it can open vistas of employment opportunities for the youth in highly-competitive job market. “On one hand, we are roping in big industrial houses to venture into the State, and, on the other, laying stress on large-scale development of micro, small and medium enterprises to generate jobs,” he said.
Commissioner/Secretary, Higher and Technical Education, made a power-point presentation in the meeting and gave an overall view of the functioning of skill development institutes in the State. He said that presently 54 ITIs were functioning, out of which one is in the private sector and 11 are exclusively for women. He said these institutes have more than 10,000 seating capacity. Up-gradation and modernization of ITIs under various schemes is presently on, he added.
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