Srinagar, Sep 29 (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday called for greater focus on education, entrepreneurship, sports, culture and mentorship to empower youth in border areas and enable them to pursue their aspirations with confidence.
Addressing a felicitation ceremony for meritorious students organised by Wadies Hindi Shiksha Samiti in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, Sinha said the younger generation is the torchbearer of India’s rich tradition of knowledge, literature and culture.
Congratulating the students, teachers, parents and organisers, he said the mother tongue is not merely a medium of communication but is linked to identity, memory and cultural heritage.
Sinha said Jammu and Kashmir’s linguistic diversity reflects India’s shared cultural heritage and noted that the National Education Policy places emphasis on early education in the mother tongue and Indian languages.
“The real development of Jammu Kashmir will come when a child in our border villages can say with confidence, ‘I can fulfil my dreams’,” he said.
The LG outlined five key areas for youth empowerment in border areas — education and technology, employment and entrepreneurship, sports and culture, access to opportunities, and guidance and mentorship.
He called for smart classrooms, digital libraries and skill-development opportunities to be extended to remote villages.
“We must create opportunities for youth in handicrafts, horticulture, agriculture, tourism, and local industries so that they become not just job-seekers but also job-creators,” Sinha said.
He also stressed that scholarships, digital platforms, training programmes and national and international competition opportunities should be made accessible to youth living in border areas.
Officials should ensure that professionals from Jammu and Kashmir visit such students at least twice a year or provide them mentorship through programmes in Srinagar or Jammu, he said.
Urging students to take pride in their language and culture while embracing science, technology and modern knowledge, Sinha said every student possesses a special ability and should transform it into a responsibility.
He also appreciated the efforts of Wadies Hindi Shiksha Samiti in promoting the Hindi language and wished the students a bright future.
Principal Secretary, Culture Department, Brij Mohan Sharma, Commissioner Secretary, School Education Department, Ram Niwas Sharma, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Anshul Garg, SSP Srinagar G V Sundeep Chakravarthy, Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Akshay Labroo and Secretary JKAACL Harvinder Kour, among others, attended the event.—(NVI)
