Srinagar: Heads of nearly 30 well-known corporate houses in India are expected to visit Srinagar as part of an outreach initiative for Jammu and Kashmir’s youth, facilitated by the central government and the union territory administration, ThePrint has learnt.
The delegation is expected to attend a day-long workshop on 31 October, titled ‘Youth Engagement and Outreach’, which will be the main event of the visit.
Several senior government officials will also be attending the workshop to interact with the delegation and apprise them about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to sources, the delegation will be interacting with young people and offer them career advice, discuss employment opportunities and job placements among other things.
Officials noted that this maiden visit by India’s corporate heads, after the withdrawal of Article 370 last year, will be a significant step to engage with the youth of the new UT.
The delegation will also visit various government-run institutions, especially in the health and education sectors, and will give suggestions on possible infrastructural improvements.
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Hope to instil confidence for investments in J&K
A senior government official said while the main purpose of the event is to provide employment opportunities to the youth in Jammu and Kashmir, the administration is hoping the visit will also build confidence in the corporate world to invest in the region.
“Livelihood generation, financial assistance, sports, community recreation, education and skill development are six areas that the J&K administration is continuously working on, and this workshop is part of that effort. The primary goal will be to provide the youth of J&K with employment opportunities both in the UT and across the country,” a senior government official, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint.
Members of the business community as well as potential entrepreneurs from the UT are also expected to attend the workshop and interact with the corporate delegation, sources added.
According to a J&K government official, security will be stepped up in Srinagar ahead of the visit of delegation, who will reside in both government-run luxury facilities and private hotels in the region.
Officials said the delegation will also be taken for sightseeing to famous spots in Srinagar, including the Dal lake and Mughal Gardens.
The visit comes after the much-hyped global investor summit, scheduled to be held in Jammu and Kashmir in April this year, was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
ThePrint had earlier reported that the UT administration had even decided to identify 60,000 kanals (around 7,500 acres) of government land for potential investors. The summit was originally supposed to take place in October 2019 but got delayed due to the prevailing situation in J&K last year after Article 370 was scrapped.
The development also comes in the backdrop of a raging political controversy over the recently introduced land laws, which allow all Indian citizens to purchase land in the UT.
Earlier, when Article 370 was in force, outsiders were restricted from purchasing land in the erstwhile state.
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