CS reviews roadmap for mega youth engagement programme

Srinagar, Oct 15: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo reviewed a detailed presentation by the Planning, Development & Monitoring Department on “Youth Engagement: Building Tomorrow’s Leaders”, which outlines an integrated framework aimed at empowering the youth of Jammu and Kashmir through sports, culture, education, entrepreneurship, and digital innovation, said an official press release.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary, Culture; Commissioner Secretaries of GAD, Youth Services & Sports, and Floriculture; Secretaries of School Education, Health & Medical Education, and Skill Development Departments; besides several other Heads of Departments and senior officers.

At the outset, the Chief Secretary termed the youth engagement programme a significant step towards nurturing creativity, innovation, and leadership among young people across the Union Territory. He emphasized the need to make the initiative multidisciplinary so that every young person is engaged meaningfully in line with their individual talents and aspirations.

The Chief Secretary impressed upon departments including Youth Services & Sports, Culture, School Education, Higher Education, Health, Rural Development, and others to devise strategic departmental plans for engaging maximum youth across their respective sectors.

Highlighting the centrality of coordinated efforts, the Chief Secretary designated the Planning Department as the nodal agency for overall implementation and monitoring of the initiative. Underscoring the need to leverage existing national-level initiatives, he called for tapping into schemes and platforms of the Ministry of Youth Affairs such as My Bharat, NSS, Youth Exchange Activities, and Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, which provide valuable exposure and skill-building opportunities for youth.