Srinagar, Aug 19: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar on Saturday said the party is proactively engaging with youth and involving them in the decision-making process at various levels.
He said this while welcoming a number of educated youth from Habba Kadal into the party fold, the party said in a statement issued here. The programme was organized by the Women’s Wing President and I/C Habba Kadal Shameema Firdous.
Among others, Party District President Peer Afaq, party leaders Sheikh Muhammad Rafi and Qaisar Jalali were also present.
In his address, Sagar said that the party is aware of the compelling need of involving youth in the decision-making. “Our mass connect programmes are focused on youth engagement envisaging a long-term vision for including them in decision-making at various levels. Unlike other political parties, who are only paying lip service to alleviate the issues concerning youth, our party is painstakingly working to remedy their concerns by discussions and deliberations,” he said.
Initiatives taken by the successive NC governments in respect of providing seed capital and arranging mortgage free loans at nominal interest rates, Himayat, Udaan and SKEWPY programmes had given a lot of fillip to employment generation within the state and also opened up avenues of employment for them in other parts of the country, Sagar said. “Unfortunately the successive governments failed to keep up with the good work done by us. Contrarily, they left no stone unturned to liquidate the good work done by us with their myopic actions.”
The NC leader said it was for the first time in the history of J&K that a “visionary scheme” like SKEWPY was rolled out. “The creation of District Employment and Counselling Centres at all district headquarters as a ‘one-stop centre’ for comprehensive information, guidance, finance and handholding of the youth was another historic initiative. Pro-youth initiatives like Himayat Scheme, SKEWPY, Udaan and Centre’s Scholarships for youth, were a gift by Omar Abdullah to the youth of the state, who reposed their faith in the young and dynamic leader,” he said, adding, “The promises of employment to thousands of youth have remained restricted to statements only and nothing is being done to fast track the selection process in JKSSB and JKPSC.”
