Srinagar, Mar 23: Jammu and Kashmir government might be struggling to address the problem of rising graph of unemployment in the state, but the Valley youth seem to have at least one solution to offer: develop and expand private sector.
 Discussing the issues facing the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, at least 200 youth pitched for development of the private sector in the state to increase the level of employability. “We cannot always beat the drum of creation of jobs in the government sector. We will have to give up this notion that the government jobs alone are everything and rest is nothing. We have to change this mindset which can be possible with the development of private sector in the state,” said a group of youth at the “One Young Kashmir” leadership summit, at the SK International Convention Centre here on the banks of Dal Lake.
 Joining the discourse, a youth underscored that the state government could make “serious efforts” to woo a number of multi-national companies to Jammu and Kashmir. This, the youth said, would ensure “decent employment” to thousands. “At present in Kashmir, 4 million people, representing 66 percent of Kashmir’s population are under the age of 30. Today, there are six lakh unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir out of which 4 lakh are college and university graduates. With such a dramatically young population most of them being educated, desired to enter less productive, over-saturated job market, Kashmir faces a serious challenge in terms of lack of employment opportunities for the educated youth,” read a document, prepared by the youth at the Summit. “This is a generation wrecked by conflict and a profound sense of marginalization. Therefore increasing drug abuse, depression, fear psychosis and suicide are the most common among the youth. This combination of the problem of youth bulge, unemployment, high educated and hopelessness increases the risk among the youth being misrepresented and exploited.”
 Therefore, the youth believe, it was high time for the state government to look into the contours of development of private sector.
 The week-long Summit has been organized by Mercy Corps, an international non-governmental organization to “mobilize the youth to develop an effective voice and initiate the process of leadership, responsibility and action to build a better Kashmir.” The “One Young Kashmir” is a youth-led initiative, mentored and supported by Mercy Corps through its Kashmir Youth RAFT Project in recognition of the United Nation’s International Year of Youth. 
 A number of youth pitched for switching over to entrepreneurship by establishing small units in sectors like Tourism, Handicrafts, Horticulture and Agriculture to ensure job security. The youth also referred to a number of factors which influence the youth entrepreneurship and also its key constraints, including “not being taken seriously by colleagues or business contacts, age discrimination by suppliers or customers, difficulties in attracting funding to the business, age discrimination by institutions or the government and lack of support from families and friends.”

Lastupdate on : Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
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