Srinagar, July 9: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday expressed satisfaction over the “positive transformation taking place in the mindset of youth regarding their first preference for government jobs.”
 “It is heartening to observe that overwhelming majority of educated youth present in the auditorium of SKICC in today’s conference have not indicated government jobs as their first preference,” he said, after asking the boys and girls to raise hands whose first preference was a government jobs and received negligible affirmative response.
 The Chief Minister was addressing a day-long Seminar-cum-Workshop organized by ASCENT Group in collaboration with the Career Launchers Education to “make youth aware and motivate them towards potential job options including those available in Civil Services, Staff Selection Commission, IIT, Banking, Law and other elite ones.”
 The event was titled ‘Diverse career choices for the youth: How to fuel aspirations to realize dreams.’            Omar said that youth are future of the state and their development and progress is to be carried forward by as per their dreams. “You are the future ones to take care of the State and develop it as per your dreams,” Omar told young boys and girls, adding that they have rekindled the hope for self-sufficient and economically welfare Jammu and Kashmir by categorically expressing little preference for government jobs.
 “In fact, the State Government should not be seen as job provider but a service delivering and development giving entity,” Omar said, adding, “ It is very difficult for a State like Jammu and Kashmir to manage a huge establishment when its income meager resources.”
 “The total annual income of the State by all means is just Rs. 6500 crores and we have to pay salary to the government employees to the tune of Rs. 13500 crores yearly and the losses per annum on electricity supply account for another Rs. 2000 crores.” Omar explained.
 He said that even under this kind of scenario the State Government is creating government job facilities for youth to the extent possible.
 Omar said that new initiatives for skill development and employability of youth have been initiated and the schemes like Udaan and Himayat are under implementation with help of the good office of Prime Minister to prepare the youth for getting absorbed in open job market.  “Gone are the days when medical and engineering fields were only choice for the young generation. There is vast world before you and you are talented enough to prove your ability,” he told the youth while asking them to face challenges confidently and prove their excellence.
  “My government has focused to expand the horizon of employability for you and provide you opportunities of employment and entrepreneurship both within and outside the State,” he said, expressing the hope that the seminar will prove beneficial for the participants.
 Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Higher Education, Abdul Gani Malik underlined the need for making youth of Jammu and Kashmir aware of vast job market available in the country both in government and private sector.
 He said the youth of Jammu and Kashmir are talented enough to prove their mettle. “They only need polishing and awareness”, he said.
 Malik also emphasized the need for encouraging larger participation of educated youth in All India Level Competitive Examinations.
 In his welcome speech the Chairman ASCENT Group, MS Pandit said that the Group is organizing awareness and motivation programmes from time to time since 2009 with the objective of creating awareness amongst the aspirants and potential aspirants in respect of All India and State Level Service Examinations.
 He said that ASCENT is also providing counselling, coaching and mentoring with faculty support from reputed institutions of country to the aspirants of Civil Services.

Lastupdate on : Mon, 9 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Mon, 9 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Tue, 10 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST