Srinagar, May 19 : Former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has said that the growing crisis of unemployment among the youth in Jammu and Kashmir, whose numbers have now crossed into lakhs, must not and cannot be overlooked. She said she has written to Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, urging him to reconsider the government’s decision to employ 4,000 ex-servicemen to guard key installations.
Mehbooba took to microblogging site X, formerly Twitter, and said that this soaring unemployment is not just an economic issue but a social emergency.
“Wrote to Omar Sahab urging him to reconsider his government’s decision to employ 4,000 ex-servicemen to guard key installations. While I hold the utmost respect and gratitude for our ex-servicemen we mustn’t & cannot overlook the mounting crisis of unemployment afflicting youth in J&K whose numbers have now crossed into lakhs,” she wrote on X.
“This soaring unemployment is not just an economic issue but a social emergency. With few opportunities amidst utter despondency many youngsters are falling into the grip of drug addiction and tragically some are even driven to suicide. We must come to their rescue by being more mindful of their future,” she added.