Jammu and Kashmir: LG Sinha stresses on youth self-employment

“Through the Himayat Programme, we can reconstruct a better and more resilient workforce in J&K, which will also be able to bridge social inequality,” he said.

The Lt Governor made these remarks during Industry Connect Meet-Himayat 2020 organized by Himayat Mission Management Unit, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.

Baseer Ahmad Khan, Advisor to the Lt Governor; BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Leena Johri, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, GOI; Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor; Sheetal Nanda, Secretary to the Government, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj; Kapil Sharma, COO Himayat; Representatives of Corporate Planning, Research, Skilling, Consulting, Sales and Marketing, Brand Management and Biotech Healthcare were present on the occasion.

While addressing the gathering of representatives from over 60 organizations from private sector, the Lt Governor termed ‘Himayat Programme’ as a perfect example of great synergy between the government, training partners, job providers and the people.

“Himayat is an unprecedented initiative for those youngsters who have had to quit studies due to one reason or the other. It provides them a second chance to realize their dreams and earn a livelihood”, he said.

The Lt Governor observed that the youth requires both conventional as well as evolving skills.

“The industry, demand and skill set requirements are changing at a faster pace. Since skill training can only be commensurate with levels of education, it is important to focus on the sectors, which are known to be employing a large workforce,” he added.

“For people under Himayat Programme, which covers youth between the age group of 15-35 years, in both Rural and Urban areas, technical as well as soft skill training which is basically a set of skills as defined by the World Economic Forum is a must,” said the Lt Governor.

“In the coming days, we will have huge requirements of skilled workforce in Electricity, Gas, Water, Construction, Electronics, Wholesale and Retail Trade, E-commerce, Hotels, Transport, Information and Communication Technology, Finance and Insurance, Real Estate, IT enabled Services, Health and Social Services, Manufacturing, Horticulture, Education, Automobile and Packaged Food Industry.”

“It is estimated that 88,354 young boys and girls are to be trained within the next three years. More than 16 thousand candidates have been trained and more than seven thousand are already working in the private sector, all because of the Himayat programme. Big companies like Tech Mahindra, Amazon Pay, Greenply, Yazaki India, Apollo and others have recruited these candidates”, he added.

It was informed that the Himayat Mission is also conducting counseling sessions and mobilization and promotion activities in association with the project implementing agencies in various villages.

“Himayat can provide adequate and appropriate support for all future candidates, especially those who have been affected by global pandemic and belong to vulnerable section of the society. 1500 candidates have been given job offers in two virtual job fairs. Today, more than 60 organizations are participating who have to see the training aspects of 54,000 prospective candidates,” said the Lt Governor.

The Lt Governor also interacted with participating organizations and extended full support and assistance of the Government for making J&K a land of opportunities.

During the Industry Connect Meet, Four Panel Discussions on technical subjects were held covering various facets of Himayat programme including- Challenges and Opportunities in Himayat, Experience sharing by PIAs; Employment Sectors Post COVID 19 for DDUGKY Candidates, Employers Perspective, Innovations and Best Practices in Skilling Ecosystem, Experts Speak and Skilling the Youth of J&K – Roadmap from Prospective PIAs. For Training, skill development and Industry Tie-ups, Himayat Mission Management Unit JKRLM signed MoUs with Instrumentation Automation Surveillance & Communication Sector Skill Council of India and Electronics Sector Skills Council of India.