Jammu, Dec 15

Government jobs in states with financial deficit like Jammu and Kashmir should be the last choice for educated, trained youth who should instead seek employment in private sector inside and outside the state, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said Sunday.

Speaking at the foundation day of Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in Rajouri town, he said that opening and upgrading of various university campuses, degree and technical colleges and polytechnics in the state have expanded the orbit of receiving modern education for youth nearer to their homes.

"This has also catapulted the employability of the students to get lucrative and remunerative jobs in the open job market," he said, stressing that he wants to create such an educational environment to so educate and train the state's youth that government jobs will be least preferred by them.

He said this is more necessary in financially deficit Jammu and Kashmir where the total annual revenue is Rs.6,500 crore but salary paid to government employees is Rs.13,500 crore, losses on supply of electricity are Rs.2,000 crore while pensions amount to about Rs.2,000 crore too.

"The higher educational institutions, particularly universities, should link up with the leading players in the fields of industry, science, technology, IT, ST and other related disciplines and include subjects of their requirement in the curriculum,"Omar Abdullah said, adding that employment fairs by the leading business houses should form the regular activity at the universities. 

He said he has already talked to some leading business houses of the country in this regard and would talk to more others.

The chief minister asked the students to get fully acquainted with the initiatives of 'Udaan' and 'Himayat' programmes sponsored exclusively in the state by the union government to create job opportunities for the educated youth of the state in private sector all across the country.

"You should avail this opportunity as it is only for Jammu and Kashmir and no other state in the country has this programme," he said.

The chief minister inaugurated a solar power plant built at a cost of Rs.2.73 crore, a boys' hostel which cost Rs.3.21 crore, a girls' hostel built at Rs.1.65 crore, a health centre, a basketball court and a Super Bazaar in the university campus.

By:IANS