Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha today participated in the National Youth Festival celebrations here at Teachers Bhawan, Jammu.The Department of Youth services and Sports is organizing various events under the 24th National Youth Festival through physical/virtual mode, celebrated every year to commemorate the Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.Speaking on the occasion, the Lt Governor called for creating a robust ecosystem to promote the young talent of J&K.Underscoring the significance of the event, the Lt Governor said that the aim is to provide a platform to bring the youth of the country together, giving opportunities to showcase their talents in various activities, promoting the spirit of communal harmony and brotherhood among the youth.The National Youth Festival is not any other programme, but rather a festival in my opinion. Youth is a major driving force of a nation. It is to acknowledge this force, that we celebrate the National Youth Day, observed the Lt Governor.Youth of J&K needs opportunities to showcase their capabilities. UT Government provides handholding to the talented youth of J&K for the promotion of their talent at national and international level, the Lt Governor said.Terming Youth as one of the greatest gifts to Jammu & Kashmir, the Lt Governor observed that 70 percent of the population is below the age of 35 years, giving a great demographic dividend, and the Youth of J&K are capable of producing nectar of growth and development.“Development and growth is nothing but creative refinement of youth energy. The energy that is being manifested in our education, sports, skilling and creativity ultimately transforms into the development of the region”, said the Lt Governor.“Socio-economic landscape of J&K is transforming. There is a new hope of jobs, hope of equitable development, hope of a vibrant society, hope of a modern- industrialized UT and this hope is going to become bigger every day because of the immense contribution of our youth, our talent pool”, the Lt Governor observed.Quoting Swami Vivekananda, the Lt Governor said that a youngster must not dwell in the past and make his own destiny. “Only with sheer will and determination, the youth of Jammu & Kashmir would be able to shape the future of the region and the nation”, he added.Swami Vivekananda believed that the world needs to build on character. He believed that the world needs selfless individuals to make a change. The future of Jammu & Kashmir is also dependent on such individuals, observed the Lt Governor.Highlighting Government’s initiatives for skill development of youth, the Lt Governor said that in the coming days, hundreds of skill centres are going to be started in J&K which will impart skill training in innovative ways keeping the evolving industry demands in consideration. The work on a modern skill centre at Jammu is almost done and it is about to start operations very soon. Film maker, Imtiaz Ali is planning to do a workshop for our youngsters. Similarly, some major players from the music industry are also going to work on honing the skills of our youth, in association with the Cultural Academy. Talented youngsters would be encouraged to write and perform in any of the regional languages, he added.Prime Minister has given a priceless gift to the people of J&K in the form of a New Industrial Development Scheme for J&K worth Rs 28,400 crore that will lead to rapid industrialization, development and generation of 4.5 lakh jobs, the Lt Governor maintained.The Government has provided assistance and handholding to the aspiring entrepreneurs during the Back to Village programme and the same youth is emerging as a job provider. More than 12 thousand of those young entrepreneurs are earning their livelihood while fulfilling their dreams, said the Lt Governor.Citing obstacles created due to the global pandemic, the Lt Governor said that sometimes we did overcome several obstacles of lockdown, closure of educational institutions, because our youth is progressing in leaps and bounds, our workforce, our farmers and administration is stronger than ever.More than 5 lakh young sportspersons participated in various activities last year. 100 students from Jammu division were given skiing courses at Gulmarg, and another 200 are going to be trained soon. More than 10 thousand students from Jammu division went on inter-district trekking expeditions last year. More than 44 thousand students participated in the Back to Village and My Town My Pride programmes. This data itself speaks about the efforts of the J&K Government to promote the young talent of the UT, said the Lt Governor.Sh. Farooq Khan, Advisor to the Lt Governor, while speaking on the occasion, emphasized on nurturing the skills and talent of the youth, besides developing the sense of excellence among them to channelize the young energies in a right direction.In his welcome address, Sh. Sarmad Hafeez, Secretary to the Government, Youth Services and Sports Department recounted the activities undertaken by the department for promotion of sports and other allied activities in J&K.It was informed that during the National Youth Festival, cultural activities like, Music, Dance, Theatre, Visual Art, Expression Art, Knowledge sessions, Indigenous games etc were displayed on Common Platform.Young artists from far flung areas also showcased their talent through the presentation of cultural programmes. Dr. Saleem-ur-Rehman, Director General, Youth Services and Sports, J&K presented Vote of Thanks.Sh. Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Lt Governor; Dr. Naseem Javaid Choudhary, Secretary, J&K Sports Council and scores of prominent artists were present on the occasion.
