Speaking in chaste Urdu, the official language of Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said here on Monday that the Centre had announced a slew of measures for economic development and reconstruction of the state impaired by a two-decade old insurgency. “But I know a lot still needs to be done,” he said while addressing the 5th Convocation of the Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST) here.
He also pledged his government’s commitment to implement the recommendations of the five working groups he had formed after three round table conferences held in 2006 and 2007. “We got many view points (from these round table conferences) and we will act on the recommendations of the working groups step by step,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that in recognition of its contribution and in view of its importance to the development of the state, the Central government will provide a special grant of Rs 100 crores to the SKUAST. “In May, I met Dr. Shah Faisal, a young doctor from Kashmir. His father was a teacher who lost his life to the violence in the state. Dr Faisal has made the entire state proud by standing first in the Civil Services Examination. He received all his education in institutions of Jammu and Kashmir. His success is proof that the educational institutions in the state are no less than other educational institutions of our country,” the Prime Minister said. However, he was concerned that many youth from Jammu and Kashmir and especially from Srinagar “feel disillusioned due to the lack of economic opportunities.” He assured them that in cooperation with the state government, the Centre will make every possible effort to create adequate employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir.