Mehbooba seeks CII support in skill development of youths

Jammu, Apr 26: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today sought the support of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in skill development of the youth.

She said the government is committed to creating an investor-friendly environment in the state and meeting the requirement of high-end venture firms in terms of skilled manpower and 'ease of doing business'.

"Our youth are tailor-made for entrepreneurship. There is a need though for an institutional linkup between CII, Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), colleges, and the universities to harness this talent," she said. The Chief Minister made these observations during an interaction with a CII delegation, headed by Rumjhum Chatterjee, who is the first Chairperson of CII's Northern Regional Council, at the Civil Secretariat.

The CM said employment avenues will grow if J&K is able to attract major investors. For this, she said, the government will make efforts in enhancing competitiveness.

"The CII must focus on orientation courses in colleges and universities on a much larger scale to bolster levels of awareness in entrepreneurship," she stated. She expressed hopes that CII would also focus on harnessing the talent of young female entrepreneurs.

"I think floriculture, in which the state has a huge potential, can become starting point for CII," she said, adding the government will partner with CII in its endeavour. The Chief Minister was briefed by Chatterjee about J&K emerging as a possible destination for start-ups. The CII delegation also invited the Chief Minister to participate in conferences on Invest North and AgroTech, scheduled in September and November.

Chatterjee presented a copy of a proposal about easing bottlenecks so that business-friendly environment in the state is improved on 35 important parameters, where India lags as per a recently-published report of the World Bank.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Jammu, led by its President Rakesh Gupta, called on the Chief Minister this afternoon. The delegation submitted a memorandum to her and apprised her about their demands relating to tourism, health and infrastructure projects.

PTI