Promote sports to tackle unemployment: Governor

Gangtok, Jan 26 (UNI) Sikkim Governor V Rama Rao today expressed concern over the growing unemployment and unrest among the youths in the state and suggested promotion of sports in the state in a big way.

Unfurling the national flag at a state-level function on the occasion of 58th Republic Day, the Governor said though the government had taken a number of steps towards capacity building through skill upgradation for generating more employment opportunities, much more needed to be done in the 11th five year plan.

Better and more sports infrastructure needed to be developed and youth should be encouraged to take up sports as a career option to overcome unemployment, Mr Rao suggested.

Detailing the achievement of the government in various fields, the Governor said the government was targeting tourism, human resource development, horticulture, floriculture and hydro power development as thrust areas where scope for employment generation was more.

In a message, Chief Minister Pawan Chamling said infrastructure development and limited access put a challenge to the overall development initiatives in the state.

He said the government had taken a number of inititiaves to overcome the problem.

He said double laning of Silguri-Nathula National Highway will be completed soon and the proposed airport at Paykong will be made operational within next two years.

Mr Chamling said though the state had a liberal investment policy, good labour laws and peaceful atmosphere and huge scope for opening small and medium enterprises, still it failed to attract desired amount of investment.

He called upon to utilise the limited resources of the state in an environment-friendly and ecologically-friendly manner for the sustainable development of the state.

UNI