Srinagar, Sept 1: An expert group of economists assigned with the task of formulating job plan in unemployment ridden Jammu and Kashmir, by Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has sought detailed report from state government about the state’s economic structure and growth in various sectors.
 To begin with, the panel met in New Delhi last week to have an overview of the JK’s economy and more crucial unemployment problem which was starring at the face of the government.
 The meeting which was held at JK House and attended by most of the members including C Rangarajan, a former governor of Reserve Bank of India and NR Narayana Murthy, head of Singh's economic advisory panel and chairman of Infosys Technologies, lasted for more than two hours.
 “It was a preparatory meeting. A whole range of issue vis-a-vis state economy and growth in different sectors came up for discussion,” sources said, adding the panel also discussed in detail the economic survey report prepared by the state’s Economic and Statistics department earlier this year.
 The panel, sources said was briefed about progress in various resource generating sectors of state like tourism, and agriculture—considered to be the main stay of the state economy. The state’s GDP is hovering around seven percent and government expects it to rise to percent by the end of 2012.
 The state government has nominated the recently appointed Principal Secretary to the chief minister, BB Vyas as an official representative from the government for the panel while as the President, Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kashmir, Shakeel Qalandar, is another member from the state.
 Sources said the panel sought from state government more information about the growth rate and employment generation in different sectors like Power, Tourism and Industries.
 The group is expected to meet anytime next month to start working on the task it has been assigned with, sources said.
 It has been learnt that the group would remain in constant touch with the National Skill Development Mission to suggest the roadmap for increasing employability in the state.
 Unemployment has been one of the major worries of the state government which has not been able to attract any major private sector investment from outside for past many years. Last year government carried out a survey which confirmed that state has more than four lakh unemployed youth and the number was growing. 
 Amid criticism from some political quarters in the state including opposition Peoples Democratic Party that government of India was looking into the Kashmir problem through the prism of economy, the expert panel was set up by the Prime Minister on August 10 and is scheduled to submit its report within three months to the PMO office.

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