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Confidential Report
STATE YOUTH POLICY
Concept Note
YOUTH PARLIAMENT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR
Young men, my hope is in you. Will you respond to the call of your nation? Each one of you has
a glorious future if you dare believe me. Have a tremendous faith in yourselves, like the faith I
had when I was a child, and which I am working out now. Have that faith, each one of you, in
yourselfthat eternal power is lodged in every souland you will revive the whole of the
country(Swami Vivekananda)
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Executive Summary
2. Foreword
3. Preface
4. Introduction
5. Rationale for Youth Policy
6. Policy context
7. Policy Goals
8. Policy vision
9. Objectives
10. Youth policies and accountabilities
11. Defining youth development
12. Target youth groups
13. Rights and Responsibilities
14. Policy imperatives and Proposed interventions
15.
Policy implementation and Coordination Mechanism
16. Monitoring and Evaluation/suggestions
17. Conclusion
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Rachel Jackson says,
Our young adults are not failing the system; the system
is failing our young adults. Ironically, the very young
adults who are being treated the worst are the young
people who are going to lead us out of this nightmare.
YOUTH PARLIAMENT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR
About YOUTH PARLIAMENT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR
The Youth Parliament of Jammu and Kashmir (YPJK) is an organisation of young, dynamic and
innovative young people promoting peace in the trouble-torn region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Their aim is to include the voices of young people in decision-making and governance and to
help young people support society in making Kashmir a better place to live. The organisation
provides opportunities and a platform to enterprising and dedicated young people working for
the welfare of society and the state
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Jammu and Kashmir is a state that has its own distinct and peculiar cultural ethos. The state
has a predominant place as it shares the international boundary with Pakistan and China. It is
enriched with the boundless beauty of snow-clad mountains, large natural lakes, forests, rivers
and springs. It comprises three main natural regions, namely, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.However, for administrative purposes, the state is divided into two main divisions, Kashmir with
twelve districts (including two districts of Ladakh region) and Jammu with ten districts.
The trend in the development of Jammu and Kashmir is not encouraging. It has been lagging
behind most of the states in regard to the growth of Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) at
current prices. The average annual growth of Net State Domestic Product at current prices
during 1980-81 to 1999-2000 was 12.45 per cent for Jammu and Kashmir against 15.01 per cent,
14.28 per cent, 13.83 per cent and 14.3 per cent for Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal and
Kerala respectively. In the case of the growth of Per Capita Net State Domestic Product at
current prices also, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was lagging behind most Indian States. The
average annual growth of Per Capita Net State Domestic Product at current prices during 1980-
2000 was estimated as 9.63 per cent for Jammu and Kashmir against 12.9 per cent, 11.63 per
cent, 11.63 per cent, and 12.86 per cent for Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal and Kerala
respectively.
The slow growth of the state of Jammu and Kashmir can be attributed to various factors. The
climate of armed militancy in Kashmir during the past decade has been a major factor. Low
productivity in agriculture and allied sectors has impeded employment and income generation.
Poor industrial infrastructure along with the poor investment climate has left the industrial
sector in its infant stage. There has not been a suitable strategy for the potential sectors to
achieve higher economic growth. Lack of good governance and sound fiscal management has
also been responsible for the poor economic growth of the state.
FORWARD
Over the years the unemployment problem particularly for educated youth has acquired
alarming dimensions .with the regular annual incremental increase thousands of unemployed
educated youth enter into the growing list of the unemployed, largely due to the economicdistress and mismatch , the problem is going to be one of the biggest challenge.
The task of overcoming the unemployment problem could only be resolved to a considerable
context by providing jobs to the unemployed educated youth outside the govt department and
by promoting the self employment ventures and thus ameliorating that lot of job seekers.
Like all other states, the state of j&k has a high rate of unemployment particularly among the
educated youth . Almost 6 lakh people are unemployed in the state. The problem has been
further accentuated due to the fact that avenues for private employment are restricted to
almost nil. This cause a strain on the resources of the state and hampers developmental
activities . with a view to generate a lasting solution and overcoming the problem of educated
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unemployment youth various schemes to provide fruitful self employment oppurtunities ,
especially to the educated unemployed youth, were devised and launched by both the
governments at the centre and the state.
PREFACE
The economy of Jammu and Kashmir State has suffered badly from disturbed conditions
prevailing in the State for almost more than two decades. It would, therefore, be necessary to
put the economy back on track and accelerate the pace of growth of economy and make-up for
the losses suffered. The Jammu and Kashmir state with its varied and diversified geographic,
agro-climatic and topographic features poses very peculiar and unique problems of development
and administration. Closed corner location, remoteness and isolation from major markets,
scattered population, and lack of infrastructure and dislocation of normal civic life during the
two decadesall these factors and characteristics define special developmental challenges.
Jammu and Kashmir is an important tourist destination and has been a place of attraction for
tourists since centuries. The lush green forests, sweet springs, perennial rivers, picturesque
alpine scenery and pleasant climate of Kashmir vally, has remained an internationally acclaimed
tourist destination, whereas Jammu region the land of temples is attracting a large number of
pilgrim tourists and the important destination has been Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine. Ladakh
region, the moon land has been a much sought-after destination, especially for the foreign
tourists and is famous for adventure tourism. The tourism tag has placed always the state of
Jammu and Kashmir in the limelight at national level as well as the international level.
Introduction
Youth Policy is a comprehensive document which defines the vision of Government of Jammu
and Kashmir for the Youth of the state. It seeks to provide essential planning tools guiding the
state on its approach to youth development. It forms part of the global trend where
governments are formulating youth policies that respond to the changing conditions of young
people in the contemporary times.
This policy document will first place the current debates concerning the youth, their needs and
demands and the available options and then provide a roadmap for a successful inclusion of
young people in the larger family of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Locating youth at the
centre, the policy seeks to promote the development in the state, protect democracy, support
economic development, moral and spiritual regeneration, wealth creation and distribution, and
to provide strategic leadership in the fight to eradicate poverty, unemployment,
underdevelopment and corruption.
Youth Policy document will ensure an inclusive, gender neutral and a holistic approach to the
development of society. Also the policy will ensure that all young people have access to
opportunities that enable them to grow, develop and prosper as fully engaged, responsive and
productive citizens.
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The policy will provide for non-state actors, non-government organisations, to engage in youth
mobilisation, resource development and build avenues for youth to contribute for the socio-
economic development.
RATIONALE FOR YOUTH POLICY
The significant but most vulnerable section of the society is conspicuously at the risk of
victimization of various kinds and it is also more likely that the socio-psychological consequences
of their victimization have lead to the psycho-social pathology that still haunts the region. Since
Kashmir valley is confronted with the conflict atmosphere and political chaos for two and a half
decades now, youths have turned more volatile and are vulnerable to a plethora of anxieties like
joblessness, mental depression, dependence, criminal tendencies, etc,. On one hand, they are
more worried about future, politically conscious and desire change in the overall system but on
the other hand, their identity and personality crisis amidst the acute challenges of survival have
turned them into the sheer despondent and alienated beings. This conceptual summary also
pays a special focus upon the employment and social welfare/community welfare programmes
and policies currently in place for the youth development and delves upon the need for youth
engagement, empowerment, need for more provisions of social security and the timely
interventions to prevent violence and societal disorder. There is a dire need for an effective,
egalitarian, holistic and sustainable youth policy for their practical uplift and general welfare as
the current policies in place for youth have not bore the expected fruit. The paper is mainly
based on secondary sources, like books, journals, newspaper articles, e-sources, etc,. Further,
the inputs have also been gained through observation and informal conversations with youths,
to know their aspirations, anxieties and frustrations.
POLICY CONTEXT
In J&K, people aged from 15 to 30 account for a staggering 40 per cent of the total population,
compared to approximately 30 per cent normatively. Even in a limited electoral sense, the age
group between 20 and 30 years, account for 57 per cent of the population eligible to vote. Thus,
notwithstanding anything, the demographics make youth the most important segment in the
political economy of J&K. By virtue of sheer numbers, the youth of the state should and can
decide the future of the nation. If Kashmir has to prosper, the youth have to be politically
empowered, socially responsible, ethically aware and economically independent. To do this, it is
imperative to have a youth policy to educate, employ, engage and empower them. The problem,
as it stands today, is that if a youth is educated, then he/she is not employed; if a youth is
employed, he/she is not socially engaged; if he/she is socially engaged, then he/she is not
politically empowered. So a youth policy is not only about jobs but about careers which will not
just feed a family but also build the nation. This is the context for discussing the aspirations and
anxieties. It is not that our aspirations have been wrong or that our anxieties are misplaced. That
is not so. The only issue is and that is the real dilemma -- that in our case, in the case of
Kashmiris, our aspirations are the cause of our anxieties. This is so because our individual
aspirations are not in line with our collective societal aspirations. Or perhaps it is the other way
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round. There is disconnect between what we aspire for ourselves as individuals and what we
aspire for ourselves as a nation.
A normal life is exemplified by roti, kapda, aur makaan or bijli, sadak, pani. These are of
course, everyones entitlements; but in the kind of a socio-economic system and the political
context within which we are made to operate, even these have become aspirations for thepeople of Kashmir. A job does not have to be naukri funded by the Government; a business
does not have to be an enterprise which is profitable because of a subsidy; a venture does not
have to be successful on the back of tax and electricity concessions. Why we are not able to do it
today is because we have lost confidence in our capabilities; in our creativity, in our own
comprehension to run our own affairs. We now talk about ourselves in a way that portrays us,
the Kashmiris, only as victims. This defensive attitude has made us incapable of thinking
positively and acting honestly. Something good can come out of this paroxysm of grief and
tragedy only if we, the people of Kashmir, reconsider what's really relevant, and what is less so,
in our life. Only if this is done can we as a nation, emerge from the deep political and socio-economic crisis that pervades us. We need to think of ourselves not as victims, but as normal
human beings. We have and have had lives; unhappy and tortuous as these may be. We have a
history; tormented as it may be. We have faces and names; sad as these may be. To be sure, we
as people are more than the Article 370 or the United Nations' resolutions and maps of line of
control that have come to signify the Kashmir. We should go beyond the argumentative
narration that struggles to defend Kashmir on the basis of historical records, howsoever effective
it may be. We have made ourselves into a story. We are not a story. Or even a series of endless
stories. Worst is that at some stage, this story of ours has got fictionalized. The result is that we
are now living in fiction. To alter this and live in reality has to be the real and only aspiration of
our youth.The way it is today, secessionist or the separatists movement in J&K is really a political
movement for restoration of historical claims or promises; it is not a broad based Kashmiri
nationalist movement. To be of use and relevance in the current times, it has to reinvent itself
into a nationalist movement. For that it has to hear the yearning of the youth. Its language has to
be contemporary. Its idiom cannot be isolationist; its methods cant be medieval and it strategy
cant be archaic. While this movement may have had to draw from historical wrongs to start
with, it has to evolve if it has to engage; not just the youth but the entire civil society. This can be
done by working to heighten the consciousness about ethnicity and ethno-nationalism. Let us be
clear. I am not a Kashmiri by virtue of Article 370. Article 370 doesnt make me a Kashmiri. At
best it offers legislative safeguards for my being a Kashmiri. I was a Kashmiri much before Article370 came into being and I will continue to be a Kashmiri long after it is repealed. Has even a
small fraction of the time and energy, that has been spent on defending Article 370, been spend
on reigniting Kashmiri nationalism? In the last 25 years of resistance, can we list out just three
mass based initiatives that have been taken to further the nationalist spirit of Kashmir? To
reinvigorate the pride in the people about ourselves and our nation? In other words, initiatives
that have furthered the ideology of ethnicity; that have furthered ethno-nationalism; that have
furthered the base of political nationalism; be it economic, cultural or social. Our biggest concern
today is that even as we are seeking a nation of our own, we are, every single day, losing some
bit of our social and culture on which our political nationhood is built. Some of it by design of
the Indian state, some of it by default in the process of modernization; and lots of it because of
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the apathy of my own people. Because of the apathy and cynicism of the youth. This has to
change. What has the entire spectrum of separatist or autonomist leadership done to prevent
this, let alone proactively engender it? Very little, if anything at all. As such, the aspiration of our
youth ought to be to further a positivist notion of nationalism.The loss of our own Islamic
heritage that has been assiduously created and blended with tradition is a big blow to thisnationalism.
In the larger context of identity formation, these changes seek to homogenize Kashmir at the
expense of losing our thousand years of cultural identities. This is precisely how the process of
denationalization has started in many of the conflict ridden muslim societies. If we genuinely
aspire for political autonomy, as I believe we do, it is imperative to recognize that it can be
sustained on socio-cultural specificity. This is not to negate the resistance movement but to
point out the need for a change of track in terms of moving away from a rejectionist strategy.
It is long overdue that desired forms of sub-nationalism be described, developed, and disclosed,
prior to be delivered. This reality is in complete consonance with the first reality; while peoplewill still fight for protecting the ethno-nationalism sovereignty, they are now not in line with the
manner and method in which it is being pursued.
YOUTH GOALS
Youth is not merely the period between childhood and adulthood but is typically regarded as an
ascribed status or socially constructed label, rather than simply the linguistic equivalent of the
biological characteristics and condition particular to the post infant stage of life. As per United
Nations criteria, young adult (youth) has been categorized as people in the age group of 15-24years but as per National Youth Policy (2003) of India, they have been put in the age group of 13-
35 years. Also youth is considered a time of passage between childhood and adulthood or a
period between puberty and parenthood. Young adults are typically characterized by freshness,
vigor and spirit both physical and mental. It is the age when creational cadence is played on the
chords of mind and miraculous tasks come about. Young adulthood is the spring of life that
revitalizes ones potential and is an age of discovery and dreams, ambitions and recreations. It is
an important phase of life in the context that it forms the plinth of personality development and
is the corner stone of future life. Adolescents bear a vastness in their vision and universality in
thoughts. When they dream, they dream high not only for the good future but rather take muchbroader stance by taking the nation, community, country and entire humanity along. Young
adults are recognized by the kind of potential they have to make or mar a society, to sew a fabric
of the society in the best of forms or to deteriorate the social fabric altogether. They are
undoubtedly the most imperative, precious and indispensable assets of a nation provided their
executions tally the commandments and the forbiddance corresponds to prohibitions, if not so
then the same young adults can create social havocs and chaos; thus more often it is dangerous
if it gets exposed to obnoxious influences, previously vague in every social institution. Youth has
the capacity to awaken the conscience of the nation and bring about desirable change in the
existing system. This stage of life is the foremost part of a society copious with powerful
resources, which can either construct or destruct the whole society. Every social order is
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incomplete without them. Young adults epitomize the hope and future of a country. Any idea of
national development is just a parable without their active participation. Young adults play a
major and key role in the societal setup if worked around properly. Analogous to adolescents in
other parts, Kashmiri young adults have never lagged behind when called upon to meet a
challenge and to take a dynamic part in the social construction. They have played a pivotal rolein the socio-economic regeneration of the society to perpetuate their prominent character in
communal fabrication except some sections. Kashmir, like any other place, is a society ridden
with many evil practices, diabolic dogmas and bugged with arrogance and ignorance today. If the
young adults ensure their association in a drive against these practices, a functional social
transformation can be witnessed. As Alvin Toffle, an American writer and futurist says, the
secret message communicated to most young people today by the society around them is that
they are not needed, that the society will run itself quite nicely until they at some distant point
in the future will take over the reigns. Youth have been distanced from the mainstream and
discouraged on every front, particularly on the political platform, resulting in the youth bulge.
For a society, to attempt to solve its desperate problems without the full participation of young
people is imbecile.
YOUTH VISION
Although we see a perceptible change in the way the youth have transitioned from gun totters
to advocate of peace and stability, the question remains what do their political vision hold for
Kashmir? This is important because the aspirations of the youth are entwined with the political
future of the region. These two cannot be treated as mutually exclusive factors, though views
may differ from case to case.
The understanding of a desired political future may vary as stated earlier but overall view may
be captured through the prism of rights. What is implied here is not just a failure of the ruling
establishment to address what was promised but also overwhelming importance given to
territorial sovereignty of India and Pakistan has stripped the Kashmiri people of their basic rights
as human beings. A change in political status quo of Kashmir dispute vis a vis Pakistan was also
desired. That brings to fore, the need to explore the question of Azaadi in right light which would
include freedom from all kinds of human rights abuses, freedom of speech, restoration of peace
and prevalence of democratic space along with other endowments of a functional and stable
society. Otherwise, the ghastly summers of 2008, 2009 and 2010 will be repeated in the near
future. Those three years saw more blood spill than had in preceding years which says that some
things need immediate redress and not empty promises.
Youth anger is spontaneous but not completely irrational. It has been building up since several
years and no amount of economic package or confidence building measures could inhibit that. It
flared for the first time in 1989, then again in 2008 with land transfer. This was followed with
well participated assembly elections. But 2009 Shopian rape and murder case kindled protests
again along with botched up investigations. It again confirmed peoples doubt in institutions of
justice followed by mayhem of 2010, a year that saw broad day light killing at the hands of
government forces of more than 120 protesters and bystanders, most of them youth. The
governments callous and insincere response along with use of brute force opened up a new
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front which reminded of old days of insurgency. Add to it Kashmirs historical realities and the
unheeded political aspiration of freedom, the deep and old aspirations continue to thrive even
as Kashmir lies in heart of a changing discourse.
OBJECTIVES
In reality, the huge burden of the conscious cluelessness along with the lack of intellectual
framework to deal with the difficulties of the conflict situation, has further complicated the
Kashmir situation today (prolonged and painful). The fatalistic anxieties extending beyond
politics have led to an acute social breakdown and identity crisis among the masses (every one is
a leader for him or herself). A deep unease among the masses is quite visible but without any
loud cry (dissent for violence but frightened). Also, there is an overabundance of moral
disagreements within- for example, whose Kashmir they want to seize from India? Where are
we, the Kashmiris, in this whole rights game? Who governs us in true sense today? Why does
the centre delay the redressal of public grievances time and again? Who are the youth of
Kashmir actually-a hindrance or an asset for the nation? Kashmir currently is nothing but a bunch
of mass confusions and saga of injustice, as perceived by the young adults of all the sections of
the society.
Still, there prevails a lot of misunderstanding and miscalculation among the masses like
Kashmir is governed by the military, the whole cultivable land is grabbed by security forces,
Pandits will never return home, Pakistan can liberate Kashmir within minutes, Autonomy is
useless, Article 370 will be abrogated by BJP (Bhartiya Janta Party), the draconian laws like AFSPA
(Armed Forces Special Powers Act) and PSA(public safety act) cannot be revoked at all or AFSPA
is a holy book for armed forces, Infiltration cannot be stopped because of the LoC situation,
policing cannot be public friendly at all, Kashmiri youth bulge is a big problem, international
community is seriously thinking about Kashmir problem, world is only looking at us, United
Nations is pressurizing India to resolve the Kashmir issue, US will finally favour Pakistan, etc,.
Such ideas have penetrated deep down into the mass psyche due to constant motivation of
vested interests, ignorance, presentation of distorted facts, and arm chair sermons of the so
called K-experts.
Lack of clarity, basic foot work, consistency, proper public centered agenda and a clear Kashmir
issue solution and vision is still a void with the major political establishments. Even the alleged
peace initiatives are not aimed at peace always; besides, the constant mishandling of the public
aspirations along with a glut of broken promises on better governance, transparency,
employment, development, safety and security, etc, that have so far failed to translate on the
ground. The political class has time and again failed to meet the goals and promises particularly
on political aspects of Kashmir complexity. Once elected, they fail to put the lingering K-issue in
the limelight and small local issues never come to an end as their public agenda. Also, those (the
people of the government, activists and others) who represent Kashmir on TV channels or in
debates are themselves an embarrassment to Kashmiris and the K-Issue for they only discuss
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emotions rather than facts-some even abuse the anchors reflecting their frustration, political
immaturity, volatility and lack of knowledge.
Kashmirs holistic social collective has gone mishandled since the conflict broke in. Due toinstitutional collapse during the peak conflict situation and consistent atmosphere of fear and
chaos, things went off beam to a great extent and this damage was done both by the state and
non-state actors. At the ideological level, people also suffered much for there has hardly been
any functional consensus among the same stakeholders, the members of the separatist brigade
or among the mainstream political players majorly due to power or position/attention-seeking
insatiability. For the public embarrassment and confusion, there still exist a plethora of groups
who claim that they work for the people; but, with narrow ideologies, non-feasible goals and
pure economic interests for themselves. Further, the ideological divide, visionless leadership,
corrupt politics, biased media, lack of delivery on social justice, etc, have collectively marred the
possibilities of harmony, thereby jeopardizing the life of the common man. Additionally, the self-
centered political philosophies, power hunger among the power share holders, verbal diarrhea
of issuing statements over everything or nothing and opposition for the sake of disagreement
along with covering everything with religion (incorrect as deemed by religion) to the conflict by
vested interests and amateurs has actually disturbed the life of the common man. Amid so much
of the collateral damage and perpetual loss, every Kashmiri grieves at the destruction around.
People also are currently in utter confusion about which brigade to follow or whom to avoid and
where to go to find a serene life. Whats more is that the issues of sustenance, growing
criminality, poverty and livelihood have trapped the peoples minds. Everybody is fed up with
the unceasing bloodshed and vagueness that exists till date.
YOUTH POLICIES AND ACCOUNTABILITY
As per policies of jammu and kashmir are considered, policies are more government centric
rather than people centric . As per survey our state jammu and kashmir is one of most corrupt
state. Actually it is the policies which directly effects the smooth functioning of any particular
state. As per following review in policies are important for making accountability and rationale
opportunity to every one.
Instill a sense of national unity and social cohesion in the young people while recognizing and
respecting the diversitiesin religion, language, culture, ethnicity, lifestyle and habitatin the
country. They should be groomed to become promoters of peace and harmony in the
community in which they live.
Foster in young people not only an abiding commitment and adherence to the values enshrined
in our Constitution but also develop them as key promoters of these values in all sections of the
society. They should play a significant role in advancing appropriate standards and values of
ethical conduct in individual and social life.
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Through a sustained programme of education and training and appropriate support services,
help young people become economically self-reliant and productive units of the country, either
by taking up employment or by setting up their own business enterprises.
Empower youth to take up the challenge of eliminating all forms of social and economic
discrimination and exploitation; counter forces that threaten to undermine national harmony;and launch a crusade against unhealthy social practices, evils and becomes sensitive towards
human rights.
Through a programme of training and education, guide them in a manner that they become
active partners in promoting sustainable development, contributing productively to national and
local initiatives in maintaining harmonious balance between ecological and environment
considerations, on the one hand, and developmental needs, on the other.
Facilitate access to all sections of youth to basic nutrition and health especially related to
reproductive and sexual health information, facilities and services including access to mentalhealth services ; promote a healthy lifestyle, free of substance abuse and other unhealthy
addictions, and dissuade them for engaging in harmful sexual practices.
Enhance the availability of facilities in sports and constructive recreation for all sections of youth
with special focus on disabled youth and female youth.
Instill and nurture a spirit of volunteerism among the youth; develop their competencies in
various areas of social development; and extend opportunities to enable them to contribute
productively to the welfare of their communities.
Through a wide range of initiatives, including educational and training opportunities, instill inyoung women and men a culture of scientific thinking, critical analysis, and rational attitude in
their day-to-day life; and make them sensitive to the needs and concerns of socially and
economically disadvantaged sections of the society.
Help youth to develop an international perspective on issues of global significance and work for
promoting international understanding and a just and non-discriminatory global order.
Through affirmative action and measures, extend support to priority groups young women,
socially and economically disadvantaged youth, and youth living with physical, sensory and
intellectual impairments and ensure that they become part of mainstream development process.
Encourage voluntary sector to create appropriate platforms which promote youth volunteering
and support recruitment and training of youth for social action in the community.
Encouraging youth engagement in monitoring and evaluation process of development work
undertaken by government and non-government structures including the PRI.
DEFINING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
jeopardized by the hovering clouds of political uncertainty in early 1990s, young adults naturallyjoined the chaos and turned themselves into a chaotic mob rather than an ordered group
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because of their being the most vulnerable, devoid of guidance and counseling, less parental
control/social control and callous links with exposable section of the society. With the arrival of
gun-culture in the valley every one suffered to the worst and young adults deteriorated the
most. The creepy dance of unaccountable deaths and destruction dramatized on the screen of
independence on a large scale continued and young adults responded to it group wise. Onewho was sent outside the state by his parents to suffer; another who crossed the LoC to suffer
forever; other group popularly known as Ikhwanis(surrendered militants) who joined armed
forces and resided in military camps were another threat to the peace and security of the
common man. Such self styled men were very arrogant in nature that used ferocity for all the
purposes and thus marred the whole regulatory system, turning the valley into a land of
lawlessness, anarchy and escalating the enormity of prevalent socio-political entropy. Another
section of young adults included those who simply lived with this frozen turbulence and
witnessed the things as they happened. Last but not the least, that section of young adults which
left their motherland out of fear, compulsion and helplessness (Pandit young adults) in that
tumultuous situation, thus lost their cultural, ethical, moral and social roots to their indigenous
land and faced tremendous difficulties in adjustment outside, the female Pandit young adults
turned more vulnerable in alien settlements outside the state or Kashmir division, thereby
disturbing their psycho-social development and education and career prospects. In addition to
this, Pandit young adults lost their sense of secure psyche both inside and outside the valley. In
all this bedlam, the female young adults suffered the most. During the initial phase of armed
struggle, the female young adults rubbed shoulders with men, and in many cases proved more
effective than men, especially when the forces would pick up the young adults, etc. They even
resisted the detention of any young adults, and protested along with men against the atrocities
of the State.
Thus, conflict made Kashmiri female young adults to acquire new roles, and with it came its own
set of problems and responsibilities. Women have proved to be oceans of sacrifice and courage
and they are delivering all that these roles demand from them with a smile on their face. But
there is a flipside of the conflict which is having an adverse effect on women and has made them
more vulnerable to various evils and mental/psychological ailments for their rights were violated
with impunity and were subjected to suffering and pain.
So, it can be argued that young adults, irrespective of their gender, suffered to the worst post
90s. In short, some were guided and some unguided and still more pathetic; rest were
misguided, shaping up Kashmir as the icon of growing anthropological heterogeneity and an
abode of anger, chaos and unholy slaughter. Besides, conflict situation amidst growing
unhappiness, frustration, mental trauma and above all economic crisis and acute dependence
culminated into different nature of crimes and undesirabilities in the valley which habitually had
negative ramifications for young adults like drug abuse, torturing thefts, eve-teasing, smuggling,
murdering and many other sorts of deviant and anti-social behaviors.
TARGET YOUTH GROUPS
Kashmir has witnessed a turbulent history since 1931 and principally in the post 1947 period
which later got transformed into a full-fledged armed conflict in 1989, followed by mass killings,
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disappearances, alarming widowhood, mass rapes and other myriad of crimes and human rights
violations. It is worth mentioning that young adults of Kashmir and Palestine are different from
the other sensitive young adults of the world. They are not what Alfred Blumstein, a renowned
American researcher on criminology, calls super predators, who have littleregard for human
life or what Goldstone, the American sociologist calls youth bulge
and youth bulge relatedbloodshed. No doubt ,they are both the worst victims and perpetrators of violence but their
violent behavior is not absurd except that it carries a message deeply embedded with meaning,
depicting their pathetic alienation in their own motherland. Their sufferings and agonies still
remain uncovered, be that societal, psychological, collective or individual. Their aggressive
actions are in fact their retaliation, protest, powerlessness, pain and anguish against their life at
ebb and at odds. Their anti-social behavior is actually the vent against all that discrimination
meted to and inflicted upon them and against their dear ones throughout the ongoing
turbulence in the Valley and against their feeling of gasping life and that of being estranged,
worthless, valueless, neglected and oppressed. Their astringent experience of prejudice, their
undervalued estimation remains hidden beneath their cozy musculature which at times nurses
their negative traits and the stiff reality of their being created criminals, deviants or drug
abusers that compels them to feel isolated as they are labeled with different tags. They are
booked in the company of hardcore criminals in jails, which worsens and erodes their personality
development and those who escape tortures and arrests even after crossing their twenties feel a
terrible burden upon their families primarily because of a very limited domain of jobs,
inadequate choices and the deficiency of income generating avenues in the state which is not
the case with the majority of the young adults in India. Labeling them violent, outlaws and rebels
is simply a bureaucratic and state rhetoric to justify the outrageous civilian killings that reached
to 120 innocent murders in the 2010 summer unrest alone. Young adults are weary of theconflict now and want to prosper in a cool, safe and secure atmosphere.
Adolescents of the present day round the globe have developed their own sub-culture (a
distinctive ethnicity that shares many elements of mainstream civilization but maintains its own
customs, values, norms and lifestyles) called the youth-culture. They tag it as their distinctive
social identity which is more clearly differentiated from that of their parents. However, in
Kashmir; Conflict and Modern Education has decked up the Culture of Young adults. The dearest
import of this aspired bandying among Kashmiri Youths under the attire of continuous exposure
to hostility has made Youth Culture in Kashmir unique both in terms of nature and texture. The
freedom loving way-of-life among young adults on one hand has been well fostered by moderneducation and the exposure inspired by big city schools amid external influence. On the other
hand, as for tradition and modernity is concerned, there has been a coexistence witnessed in
social practices among these groups.
Tradition is the set of collective procedures which seek to celebrate and inculcate certain
behavioral norms and values, implying continuity with a real or imagined past and usually
associated with widely accepted rituals or other forms of symbolic behavior and Modernity. To
begin with, we must establish what constitutes modernity: the expression encapsulates the
progress of societies, from primitive civilizations which evolved steadily through distinct stages,
arriving at a modern age characterized by industrialization and capitalism, culminating in thecurrent, post-modern state of globalization which shapes the contemporary society with an ever-
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increasing momentum. Kashmiri students, particularly young adults in higher education, also
share distinct youth culture. Throughout the world, there is a multiplicity of youth cultures based
on social class, status, gender identity, geographical location, etc. However, talking of youth
culture in college and University campuses, it may not be apt to talk of multiplicity of youth
cultures in Kashmir. Though there is no doubt about the diversity of backgrounds likedifferentiated social class, gender, ethnicity, locations etc, still, mutual communication and
interaction is a common social reality especially at big learning centers like university campuses
or colleges. Expert participant and non-participant observations have revealed that the young
adults have consciously or unconsciously developed their own culture which is quite different
from the traditions of their parents and families. Despite diverse backgrounds, young adults in
universities and colleges have many habits in common like food customs, dress pattern, working
pattern, recreation and entertainment pattern, etc,.
The manifestation of distinctive youth culture at campuses is more a leisure, method conscious
attitude where there is a high concern of personal appearance leading to quick imitation etc.University has turned into a modeling institution. More attachment to peers and colleagues has
given rise to a distinctive mental and social setup. It has made young adults vulnerable to the
new evils of modernity.
Our youth culture is no doubt the culture of leisure. Both male and female students spend a lot
of time in chitchats, gossips, loitering, enjoying music, video sharing and playing etc. Batch mates
develop friendship and there is little consideration for individual friends who are not from the
campus. Especially the campus youth culture is manifested in the form of group formation.
Youth sit, walk, talk, eat and spend time with specific colleagues and friends. This is also true that
the campus young adults are more interested in aspects and ideas forcing them to be figureconscious; they are more after body centered commodities, use of distinctive language forms
(usually an amalgam of Urdu-English-Kashmiri), playing with cell phones, long time phone
conversations, strange music tastes and a great amount of idle discussions.
There are a number of reasons of this youth culture on campuses. The most important amongst
these are the rise in disposable income available to the students, easy flow of pocket money and
money got from other educational expenditures drawn from parents and lengthening of the
period of childhood into adulthood, caused by a greater involvement in education up to the age
of 27 or even above. Late marriage is a modern trend, owing to higher education, joblessness
and a new way of life. Second, the societies in transition which till recent past were not so opento the elements of the modern world have now become exposed due to globalization, higher
education, better exposure to the outer world, etc., The cocoon burst and young adults were
immediately and highly vulnerable to every new style, fashion, practices, etc., and they did
everything just to look modern. Cultural imitation also plays its part. Thirdly, identity and
personality crisis have given rise to the adoption and imitation of new styles. Students try to be
the centre of concern. They suffer a lack of recognition and identity in the existing environment
so they imitate and innovate to make others feel they are not different, low cultured, backward,
e.g., rural-urban concern, racial or ethnic concern, etc.
However, a functional aspect of our youth culture is that rural-urban differences, biases andidentities, regional images, status grin and its staunch consciousness, etc. is on a declining trend,
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may be due to development of reason out of increasing education and outer exposure. However,
a dismal certainty and a doom spelling and career destroying practice of drug addiction and
some other deviant tendencies like criminality of stone pelting (Kanneh Jung in local parlance) at
security forces have alarmingly crept in our youth culture which is enough to destroy its moral
conscience to reduce it to nonexistence and a deviant sub-culture.Higher educated young adults are between the devil and the deep sea. Confrontations of young
adults with the traditional value system, their limitations to adhere to the principal of continuity
and change, identity crisis, hollow and negative stereotyping about others, blind replication of
other cultures, volatile attitude, brisk response to new social phenomenon, misunderstanding
modernity and development and ignoring continuality of phenomenon are welcome puffs of
nature of the campus young adults culture, which if not realized and noticed at the right time
may destroy its basic moral foundation , traditional and cultural ethos in general.
Kashmiri young adults though bearing prodigious resilience and moral conscience, have been
maliciously exposed to the whims of modernity in the form of certain dysfunctional cultural and
social encounters. The prolonged socio-political mayhem and a sort of frozen turbulence since
decades have despoiled their individuality and liberty and have turned them into a confounded
personality and tamed in them the passivity of individuality and personality crisis. If treated in
sociological terms, modernity in real sense hardly connotes the total annulment of ones own
traditions and socio-cultural ethos, which we as Kashmiri young adults have imbibed wrongly
and have forgotten the principles of continuity and change. We rebuff to acknowledge that no
genuine and sustainable modernization is viable through mere blind imitation, as it is a multi-
lateral process of expansion, elevation, revitalization of traditional values and cultural patterns.
Modernity should be defined in relation to, and not in denial of, tradition. Kashmiri young adultshave been blindly entrapped in a narrow well and have been consciously anesthesized in a state
of sub-consciousness following a culture of concave imitation which has led to declination and
spurn of the spiritual tendencies, glorious vernacular chastity and local cultural settings.
Young adults in todays time are bound to suffer when the system has outrightly been eaten by
the dragon of corruption at every nook and corner and the pests of arrogance, ignorance,
intolerance and hedonism have distorted the delicacy of our punctilious social fabric. The other
aspect pertaining to young adults stereotyping is that there has always been a stiff tussle
between our tradition and modernity and the young adults have often been misunderstood by
the elders and vice-versa. The elders feel that the young adults being immature andinexperienced usually indulge in thoughtless and trifling activities which otherwise is not so but
is shaping up and sharpening the growing inter-generational gap. The fact is not only with the
voting age of 18 years have the young adults become politically important, but also due to the
states high political culture since decades owing to political instability, chaos and turbulence;
young adults are conspicuously politically conscious and seminal as well due to vested interests
in them from all corners. Realizing this, they more or less shape Kashmir politics.
Furthermore, it is highly pertinent to mention that with the arrival of cell phones in the valley in
2004, instead of taking due advantage from it, a negative trend took place out of our transitional
character as most of the young adults turned nomophobic and this mobile-mania has had lots oframifications and social implications like fostered lavishness, loitering, excessive addiction to
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social networking, excessive and increased love affairs, misuse and immorality, etc. The dismal
manner in which face-book, twitter and other social networks are misused and overused is a
cause of grave concern. It has not only brought moral implications but has given birth to a
society where laws of social science seem dysfunctional and thus it becomes herculean to ratify
such an eroded social fabric. Besides, it has metamorphosed the psyche of young adults in anabhorable manner by reducing them from active bio-spiritual beings to techno-material puppets.
Social media has wreaked havoc and has deep penetrated in every corner of the valley engaging
youth in another game. Also, tweeting on everything now is a new mania in Kashmir and has
turned to be a symbol of VIP-ism at this time.
The sociological analysis of Kashmiri young adults reveal that they are anxious, politically
neurotic and have been caught in identity and personality crisis. As a result, a larger chunk of
them have been adopting every cognizable hook and crook methodology to follow or fall prey to
venomous, obnoxious and lethal ideologies and adopting practices without judging and applying
their reason. They have developed a strange busyness and un-directional, unproductive anduncalled-for priorities for themselves in which media has played an active role by placing them
on a new platform through advertising patterns, serials, unceasing reality and request shows,
spread of new fashion channels, nude shows, etc, forcing them to exercise the experiences and
be vulnerable to new situations like fantasy dressing, narcissism, vagrancy, vulgarity and thereby
defeating the actual goal of modernization, religiosity, reasonable life and rational sense.
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Arrests, restraints and use of police as a means of control are no answer to an issue which has an
internationally established mechanism in place for its resolution. The revelation that Central
Road Fund has awarded Rs 79.39 to Valley and a massive Rs 208.81 crores to the Jammu region
in last three years has added salt to the injury, precipitating a well-founded belief of policy
discrimination at core in Delhi. During the previous fiscal year 2013 alone, seven projects worth
Rs 85 crores were sanctioned to Jammu while just one project of Rs 15.59 crore was sanctioned
in Ganderbal Bopaspora-Watelbagh bridge for Kashmir. During 2013-2014 Kashmir has paid
Rs825 crore in income tax and Jammu has made a payment of Rs 232 crores in income tax only.
Kashmir region having the highest representation in Legislative Assembly, its legislators have
failed to secure required funds under Central Road Fund unlike Jammu region which managed a
huge fund flow. The poor fund flow to the land-locked valley to upgrade its road network has
severely dented the developmental works and has thrown up an army of unemployed youth.
Elected representatives in the J & K assembly (referenced in UN SC Resolution of 30 March 1951)
seem to be using the elected tenure for their private gains and in offering themselves for
compromises of various sorts at the cost of their constituencies and the constituents. The
corruption has turned into a no holds barred means of profit.
While Chaophaya Dialogue in Thailand and AAC in Srinagar were busy in debate and
incrementing an informed interaction between the communities, a group of Kashmiri Pandits
have urged the Centre to announce confidence building measures while addressing the issue of
their return to the Valley. We should all join Kashmiri Pandits in their desire to return and in their
demands that Modi Government should announce confidence building measures as an insurance
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for their return. So far so good except that these Kashmiri Pandits under the banner of Panun
Kashmirs womens wing have agitated a caveat that all Kashmiri Pandits be rehabilitated in a
single homeland with Union Territory status in Kashmir. This demand would be regarded as
uncharacteristic of their history, life and culture in Kashmir. It would create a divide between the
two communities and many Muslim and people of other faiths would be tempted to regard it aswicked desire. We support their return in safety and in dignity as a priority issue and we also
support their request that the government announces fast-track tribunals to start court
proceedings on various cases related to the exodus of the community. One would not be
encouraged to see Kashmiri Pandits in 2014 campaigning for a separate homeland with Union
Territory status in the disputed State of Jammu and Kashmir. It would throw their bona fides as
State Subjects and good neighbours into a serious disrepute.
India and Pakistan shall have to challenge and compete each other in their share of regional
influence and the constituency of international support. There is no harm that each does work to
establish a distinct national identity. However, it is harmful for the people of two countries andthe region, if India and Pakistan maintain polarized identities. India still remains the worlds
largest democracy beset with many problems, significant among these remain Kashmir and fears
of Muslims of India (after Modis victory) as the largest minority in the world.Pakistan having
sealed the debate and any doubt on its defence capability after acquiring the nuclear weapon
has started dealing with its internal challenges, the important being war against terrorism. It has
a unique position in the region and in particular in around 57 Muslim countries represented in
the OIC. India through diplomatic channels in New Delhi has wished Pakistan success in her war
against terrorists. So is every civilian in Pakistan determined to see its army successful in
Waziristan. It is for the first time that political and military leadership are seen on the same page
on securing the territories of Pakistan for the people of Pakistan.
POLICY IMPERATIVE AND PROPOSED INTERVENTIONS
Whenever we talk about Kashmir, it is discussed in the backdrop of 1949 UN and Security Council
resolutions. In this context, 65 years have been passed pertaining the Kashmir dispute. it is not
only India, which changes its stance with passage of time at various occasions, and our stance is
stable. We need to accept this reality that the change in stance is not unilateral but is bilateral.
It is why that entire region is unstable. We shall confess that post 9/11 had distorted entire localand global scenario hence there were repercussions on Kashmir issue also. The war on
terrorism emerged as prime issue at global level, therefore the other disputes become
secondary. Whether it was a dispute of Kashmir, Palestine or Chechnya. These entire nations
were fighting for their liberty, freedom or right to self determination when the organizations of
United Nations was supporting them but these genuine freedom struggle were brought under
the tag of terrorism. They were dubbed terrorists. The will power of the people had been
diluted who were struggling for their basic rights and were forced to compromise their principle
positions.
It is strange that for the last 65 years the families of the people of Kashmir are divided by theCeasefire line. They can gaze at each other, they do see the funerals of their relatives but they
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are not allowed to intermingle. This human tragedy is the gross Human rights violation of the
Globe.
As for as Kashmir dispute is concerned, we talk bilaterally but it shall be ensured that UnitedNations resolutions shall be taken in consideration. From 1972 till today the bilateralism did not
resolve the conflict. The outside intervention is imperative for implementation of resolutions.
We are passing through an era where there is hegemony of USA. The monogram of KAC
indicates the dominance of USA and we are getting the same impression. We are celebrating
5th
February as an solidarity day with Kashmir. We want to make it clear that elections are not
alternative to the UN mandated referendum. I dont see the transparency and authenticity of
elections in entire south Asian region. The people who are at hem of affairs are being caught in
electoral quandary.
The policy and strategy on Kashmir is lacking. Just to stick on one stand and do nothing is notenough. It is like, we are believers of Almighty Allah but dont have deeds in our kitty. The Holly
Quran never talks of belief in isolation of deeds. Therefore if we dont do good deeds, we cannot
talk about the Islam. To have principal stand is good but we need have a strategy for practical
implication with a definite policy and strategy. If we are lacking in practical implication, we cant
become the advocates of the Kashmir dispute.
Whenever there was a dialogue, the trade is discussed. It is principally agreed that trade is vital
for progress in the region but Kashmir dispute remains the main concern between our two
governments. So I am repeatedly talking about the conflict to be integral to any dialogue.
The colleagues who have been accompanying me during various dialogue processes do know my
point of view. Whenever Pakistan initiates a dialogue process, it brings the case of Kashmirs
right to self-determination. This case is the principle political stand of Pakistan.
Why we say that Kashmir is Jugular vein of Pakistan. Because the agriculture of Pakistan is
dependent on the rivers of Kashmir. Kashmir is imperative for Pakistan. Whenever we talk about
Kashmir, we talk in accordance with our principle stand.
There are other forums available were we can talk about other interests of Pakistan. There had
been talks regarding trade. That initiative about trade was taken by European Union and not
Pakistan. The WTO intents to review the MFN status the agreement that is suspended since
1965. They are working for it. There three fundamentals of Pakistans economy: Agriculture,
Trade and Industry. If there is agriculture, then there will be industry. If there is agricultural
production, then there will be trade. However if India diverts the direction of rivers and builds
the electricity generation powerhouses and dams, then entire agriculture of Pakistan would be
destroyed. Therefore, we say that trade has no relevance until the Kashmir conflict is put on the
road to a settlement. The resolution of Kashmir is imperative that will guarantee peace and
progress in the region of South Asia.
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POLICY IMPLEMENTATION AND COORDINATION MECHANISM
Conflict Sensitive approach while planning and implementing developmental policies..is this
the way forward? There is a growing need for implementing agencies/ administration to use a
conflict sensitive approach in planning and implementing developmental policies (be it land
policy/land and governance/water/forest rights, rural development, employment generation,
housing schemes etc). In the absence of such an approach, instead of trust building governance
initiatives have ended up fuelling conflict, be it the case of PRI election in the State of Jammu
and Kashmir held in 2011 or the failure to effectively implement provisions of the PESA
(Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act as a tool for conflict amelioration and
transformation in Chhattisgarh and other states. Across the country we are thus seeing that
well intentioned governance measures, when not implemented in its true spirit especially in
conflict prone region, only go on to fuel mistrust and resentment towards the administration.
Meanwhile what we hear are stories of everyday resistance in accessing government schemes
and the glaring gap between policies and actual implementation on the ground. These pressingconcerns we hear about in the media or through first-hand experiences during visits to conflict
affected regions raise some vital questions: What impact has development funds had in regions
of conflict and how best can their benefits be harnessed by the citizens of those regions? How
best can enabling legislations and local governance institutions act as means for conflict
amelioration/resolution and transformation? How can local capacities for conflict mitigation be
harnessed?
Monitoring and evaluation of youth policy is critical in the conflict trodden societies. There are
various areas in which much work is need to that it earns a good record in the future times.
1. AGRICULTURE & ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
Draw up a long term strategy for productivity increase in agriculture
Large network of water harvesting tanks, lift irrigation and construction of area specific new
canal network for assured irrigation
Upgrade soil testing facilities
Rehbar-e-Zirat, scheme of state government to be continued for next 2-3 years and also used
for monitoring the implementation of the various rural development programmes
Production of Basmati Rice of Jammu to be enhanced with infrastructure upgradation,
provision of inputs and marketing support
Flexibility under the RKVY Scheme to be utilized by the state to direct expenditure into priority
areas
Expand the centrally sponsored Rural Backyard Poultry Scheme
Start monthly treatment camps in a phased manner to tackle the problem of infertility and
diseases in the bovine population
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Enhance the private Paravet Scheme of the state government to train educated unemployed
youth from rural areas and engage them for artificial insemination and veterinary first aid to
animals
Revival and modernization of the government sheep breeding farms
2. Horticulture
Effective utilization of funds under Horticulture Mission for North East and Himal ayan States
(HMNEH)
The scheme on Economic Revival of J&K Saffron Sector to be expanded to reclaim the areas
which had gone out of saffron cultivation due to poor returns
To improve productivity, rejuvenate /replant orchards and in the case of apples use
biotechnology, molecular and nuclear techniques, propagation using DNA identification and
mapping systems
Encourage Private and Public investment in technologies for post-harvest handling of
horticultural produce and upgrade the existing facilities and capacities in the public sector food
processing enterprises
Department of Agriculture to consider simplifying procedures under MM-IV of the Technology
Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture. Encourage use of e-portal, decentralize the
procedure for appraisal and grant of financial assistance and monitoring through banks and
financial institutions
Identify mandis in the state and convert them into model market places having supportfacilities, post-harvest management facilities and chilling facilities
3. Tourism
Put in place a PPP policy, which will address the land related concerns in a practical manner for
the tourism sector especially in creating hotels and resorts
Identify certain areas, where tourism development initiatives by the private sector would be
eligible for incentives ranging from capital investment subsidy, interest subsidy to exemption of
service tax for the hotel industry
To encourage the pilgrims to stay longer, Jammu to develop potential alternative religious
circuits
Improve the condition of the roads, regular state transport buses, helicopter services and
budget hotels
DevelopBuddhist Circuit in Ladakh
Develop mosques and dargahs located at places of historical significance
Capacity building of the youth to act as khadims/shrine guides
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Set up a working group with members from Ministries of Home, Defence, External Affairs and
Indian Mountaineering Federation to undertake a comprehensive review of the restrictions
(including those on the use of satellite phones) and subject to security concerns make
relaxations wherever possible
Work towards building capacities of the local youth and potential entrepreneurs in tourismsector
Encourage border tourism by developing the Suchetgarh border on the lines of the Wagah
border
To attract the religious tourists, create recreational activities within Jammu, operate a luxury
Volvo bus service to Srinagar and introduce a Jammu-Ladakh flight at least 2-3 times a week to
begin with
Establish an integrated online tourism portal in PPP mode
Undertake promotion and publicity campaigns in the pr int and visual media
Promote convention tourism
4. Handicraft
Implement the Carpet Mega Cluster in the Srinagar area in PPP mode
Set up smaller carpet production centres with basic facilities in areas where there are 40-50
artisans
Develop a mega cluster of the Gabba, Namda and Crewel crafts in Anantnag district and an
embroidery crafts cluster in the state
Establish a model production zone, create public awareness, organize national and
international business events related to fashion and handicrafts and set-up dedicated web
domains for specific crafts
Strict legal action to protect the Geographical Indication
Launch a campaignto build a Kashmir brand
Develop a craft circuit where the tourists could be taken around the artisans work place
Integrated Skill Development Scheme For The Textiles And Apparel Sector Including Jute And
Handicrafts may be leveraged to train 500 craftsmen per annum for the next two years
5. Medium Scale and Micro Enterprises and IT & ITES Sector
Revive J&K State Financial Corporation (JKSFC) by providing a one-time grant from the PMs
Reconstruction Package
Allocate extra fund to J&K for skill development to build capacities of the rural artisans in thePrime Ministers Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)
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Accord marketing preference to SSI units
6. Information Technology and IT Enabled Services
Co-ordinate with DoT, BSNL, VSNL and the security agencies to connect all districts of the state
through networking system
Preference may be given to local companies for implementing the public e-governance/IT
projects
Support IT and ITES entrepreneurs by simplifying procedures and create infrastructure in terms
of IT/ITES/BPO parks in PPP mode
Cable termination station/internet exchange link to be extended up to Srinagar and
government to consider giving bandwidth subsidy
Encourage private sector to become ISPs
Introduce IT education in schools and colleges
7. Skill Development and Placement Scheme
Launch a special skill development and placement scheme for J&K in PPP mode. This Skill,
Empowerment and Employment Scheme will provide placement linked, market driven skill
training to 50,000-1,00,000 youth in 3-5 years
Undertake a special industry initiative in PPP mode for J&K for enhancing the skills and
employability of 40,000 youth in five years. The companies that have expressed interest are
Infosys Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services, Godrej & Boyce, BILT, Crompton Greaves,Avantha Group, Bajaj Auto, WWFI, JCB India, Tata Motors, Tata Global Beverages and Apollo
Hospitals.
Special scheme by Infosys Technologies for creating a special training program (STP) in
collaboration with IIIT Bangalore
8. Increasing Access to Education
Launch a Special Scholarship Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir to benefit 25,000 students over aperiod of 5 years. The scholarships will be for general, engineering and medical studies. They will
cover full tuition fee, hostel fee, cost of books and other incidentals
The state government should tie up with some large corporates for FEP for their technical
institutions
Organize regular capacity building training programmes for the principals, senior faculty
members and state directorate officers
Persuade private schools and educational institutions to accommodate children from J&K.
Delhi Public School to set aside seats for children from J&K
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IGNOU to launch two Regional Placement Centres (RPC) one each in Srinagar and Jammu to
provide an interactive job portal.The RPC to also provide career specific counselling, competency
mapping and train job aspirants to plug skill gaps
Conduct Ayurvedic Therapy Programme in collaboration with IGNOU
9. Implementation Mechanism
Set up a strong monitoring system in the central government
MONITORING AND EVALUATION/SUGGESTIONS:
The economy of Jammu and Kashmir has suffered from disturbed conditions prevailing in the
State for almost two decades. It would, therefore, be necessary to put the economy back on the
rails to enable the average person to get employment opportunities. This would require giving
fillip to the economic activities that have traditionally been the mainstay of the States economy
and continue to hold significant potential for growth and employment. Such activities include
Agriculture (including Horticulture), Food Processing, Handicrafts and Handlooms, and Livestock
and Poultry farming on modern lines. It would be equally necessary to ensure diversification of
the State economy, especially expanding the industrial base by generally have a traditional bent
of mind. Diversification of agricultural activities is the need of the hour to keep up with the
changed circumstances.
The potential of Horticulture in J&K is high, given the rich diversity in its flora and fauna and
varied agro-climatic situation. The state enjoys monopoly in certain fruits, vegetables andmedicinal plants and there is an immense scope for increasing the production of other
horticulture produce that are marketed in rich and export markets. In order to achieve this
objective, it is important that the limiting factors in both production and marketing of fresh
produce are addressed speedily and linkages between farmers and buyers are established by
developing agricultural/horticultural mandies at faster pace and on modern and scientific lines.
This would not only reduce supply chain costs but would also help the farmers with an assured
market for their produce. Technological improvements are necessary to bring about lower costs
in processing as well as reducing wastages in fruits and vegetables.
Potential for bringing additional area under Walnut is enormous. As per preliminary estimatesabout 0.50 lakh hactates are available on which walnut cultivation can be undertaken
successfully. This will help to create green cover in hilly areas and conserve soil from erosion,
besides, proving high value wood for wood carving industry, as well as walnuts for export
purposes.
Absence of Post Harvest infrastructure-non-establishment of cold storages has locked the
growth of this sector. At present, post harvest losses are estimated about 20-30%. Surprisingly
there is not a single cold storage facility for apple preservation in the vally. The lack of this facility
forces the farmers to sell their produce at cheaper rates. According to the figures available,
4,00,000 tonnes of apple are ruined by the scab every year. Other diseases like alternaria, red
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might and powdery mildew also spoil the crop. Cold storage facilities should be created in all the
districts of the State where the fruit could be stored for a longer period.
Jammu and Kashmir has unexploited capacity to produce products which have value demand
and ready for attractive markets both in India and Overseas (e.g. bio aromatics, medical herbs,
organic specialty vegetables etc. ). To enable exploitation of these opportunities, majorprogrammes are needed to educate farmers to change traditional production habits and grow
crops which the market will reward.
The food processing and horticulture industries are intimately related to areas of infrastructure
that include processing facilities such as cold chain, refrigerator facilities, and transport by both
rail and road to destination markets as well as market infrastructure for farmers to sell their
produce on remunerative prices. This when addressed in totality would bring about a lower cost,
high value delivering chain that can change the face of horticulture in the state. Horticulture
holds a great promise for the state. Apart from strengthening and diversifying the traditional
segments of fruits and mulberry, state need to harvest advantages in medical herbs, herbal
medicines and herbal cosmetics for which there is growing demand in the international market.
There is need to improve packing and standardization of the states horticulture produce.
The state has three distinct niches, while leisure tourism is available in Kashmir vally, Pilgrim in
Jammu and Ladakh has the potential to after adventure tourism. For the promotion and
development of the State from the tourism point of view, the Government should focus on the
history related tourism, identification of new areas/tourists destinations and promotion of
village tourism, pilgrimage tourism, tribal tourism, eco-tourism, health tourism, wildlife tourism
and cultural tourism. Tourism has a multiplier effect on income employment generation and
gives tremendous fillip to the economy. Looking towards the importance of tourism the
Government should bring tourism on rail by making all the tourist resorts more attractive to the
tourists.
Jammu and Kashmir is rich in handicrafts, so state Government must promote handicrafts
industries by increasing shopping arcade in their existing properties and provide space for
handicrafts industry to display their products.
CONCLUSIONThere is an overabundance of pessimistic stereotyping and false labeling against Kashmiri Young
adults in the holistic country but the need of the hour is to understand them, listen to them and
address their socio-political whims and aspirations and most prominently to create ample
provisions of social security for them. They do not feel safe outside Kashmir and to the dismay of
the holistic State, Kashmiri young adults have often been wrongly portrayed, presented shabbily
as violent minds, badly misinterpreted in reports as criminals, anti-national elements, Jihadis,
etc, mostly by the media and in writings and debates. To understand this section of the country,
one has to blend with them, debate with them, pay attention to them and give them a
benefitting reply so that a sense of belongingness to the country develops in them. They havebeen used and exploited by every stake holder for petty politics, vote bank or supported simply
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to gain fame and capital. They are still devoid of a quality education, ample exposure to the rest
of the country, provisions of a respectful livelihood, a safe life with honour and dignity, etc. They
have been misrepresented in academics as well, because there has hardly been any integrated
approach being used as a methodology to evaluate their psycho-social and economic crisis.
In the given circumstances, one can safely conclude that common people, mostly young adults,have suffered at large during the turmoil continuing for decades now. They are facing a double
burden, the burden of unemployment and the burden of living in a conflict zone. Whether they
are Kashmiri Pandits or Muslims or from other communities, the wrath of political instability has
fallen on them brutally. Many of them still avoid living in the valley, given the insecure
geography. It remains to be seen whether young Pandits (children of Kashmiri Pandits) will ever
return to their mother land or whether they have adjusted in external areas for ever, owing to a
never ending chaos back home or their settlement outside and is it just the governments lack of
foreseeing vision for luring such young adults with residence settlements or job offers without
ensuring their security on priority basis. The fact is that their return needs governmentspractical will but at the outset we should be adamant that if the Pandits or other displaced
beings return and assimilate themselves, they shall be treated on an exact equality with
everyone else, for it would be an offence to discriminate against such fate bitten people. Hence,
it is the duty of all the stake holders to look into their grievances with a sincere heart, cutting
across their ideological, religious, regional and political differences and sentiments.
The fact is that all Kashmiri young adults are in dire need of sustainable and overall social
development which could be met with many primordial elements like education, employment
opportunities, health, justice, economic security, self-employment schemes, proper regulation
and disciplined operation and activities of police and other armed forces.
This portion of the population can do wonders out of their fertile minds, provided their
enthusiasm is harnessed in a positive direction for development and progressive work of the
state and society. The positive aspect with them despite prolonged suffering, conflict
atmosphere and mental chaos, they are not morally corrupt, they love their roots and culture.
They have embraced modernization but still retain the valleys age old traditional ethos with
them. Kashmiryat is their craze and hall mark of identity and they are not communal, what has
been unfortunately labeled against them. They still have a great regard for societal norms,
values, religious beliefs, ancient heritage and glory, etc, It is also worth mentioning that conflict
has turned every young adult of Kashmir a sociologist, a politician and a historian. Irrespective ofgender, they are politically and socially conscious, are fond of debates and have learned out of
the decades of the turbulence. Last but not the least, they have continued their education
despite the doom spelling turmoil in the valley and are pursuing research, higher education and
also striving for elite services and proving their mettle. The fact is, they have strived hard for
their sustenance and survival and despite lots of hurdles and unmet needs, are moving ahead
with confidence and enthusiasm. The need of the hour is to address their grievances, render
them ample platforms to provide an outlet for their thoughts and frustrations and check the
state repressive apparatus against them. Besides provision of youth friendly schemes and one
time solution of the political chaos in the state, there is a dire need to make them feel secure in
terms of security and employment.
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Also, the need of the hour is to equally own all the youth populace irrespective of locations and
ethnicities, be that Tibetan (Tibetan-Kashmiri) youths, Gujjars, Paharis, Pashtu, Ladakhis and
Jammu youth, Sikhs, Christians, pandits, illiterate and deviants and most importantly the Female
youths belonging to the far-flung areas and lacking access to education and employment and all
the young adults who have been incarcerated for anti-national activities and thus marginalizedafter their return. Younger generation in this part of the world needs to be owned equally like
the youth from the rest of the country. They feel alienated because they have seen more of the
ugly picture of the states regulation and a lesser fraction of the beautiful part of the country.
Therefore, all stake holders be it the state government, the Center, civil society, NGOs, Military
institution of the country, policy makers, intelligentsia, and others need to think about this
bruised section of the Kashmiri populace and try to deliver in their own capacities so that long
lasting peace and the goals of progress and development are achieved. They are not just young
and angry as understood blindly but the State has to understand that young adults cannot be
empowered by MGNREGA or Haryali (IWDP ) or through Bijli, Pani and Sadak, but something that
really touches their skin and makes a difference in their lives.
I believe three things can really make a considerable difference in Kashmir and can actually
manufacture peace in this peace fragile zone. i.e.; The Just and egalitarian treatment to the
masses of Kashmir, Curbing politicization of government jobs and proper redress to the
frustrations of the States young adults and most importantly the skillful policing to avoid crisis
mishandling. Moreover, the provision of more government jobs is a must for the valley is not an
industrial zone like other places in India. Also, Self employment schemes have not proven fruitful
and despite all the schemes mentioned, there remains a greater quest for jobs, which is the first
issue confronting majority of the young adults today. There is a greater need of a victimization
survey to evaluate the level of crime against the young adults in the armed conflict situation.
In the same vein, Young adults in this part of the world need a special attention, guidance,
counseling, and above all opportunities to go forward and prove themselves. They can be
enabled to contribute for both the state and society, provided they are treated equally as a part
of the system that has failed them till date. Lastly, it is important to build up the autonomy of the
cultural fields such as filmmaking, music and journalism, fine arts, etc, among Kashmiri young
adults so as to widen their horizons. Also, there is a need to help them acquire the cultural
capital amongst themselves so as to develop aesthetic preferences, general cultural awareness,
educational and environmental credentials, etc, Kashmiri young adults have to achieve potential
in all competing fields and make efforts to strive for their excellence.
Is peace for Kashmir really tough to comprehend? Is the freedom the public desires same as the
freedom through packages, perks, packets or projects (PMs Rs 24,000 Crore package,
scholarships, MNREGA, NRHM, Udaan, etc,)? Or is it freedom from the barrel of the gun (from
across the border) or is it freedom from the dense military deployment or is it freedom through
mass transformation (into so called considerate beings who remain silent), etc. Today, as the
conflict continues despite democratic establishments, conflict resolution remains a distant
dream to accomplish. To understand this whole conflict scenario in an objective sense, we simply
need more and more interaction (no rocket science to deal with) with Kashmiri people and our
interactions need to be progressed on intercultural and multi-pronged lines aimed exclusively at
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peace building. All organizations involved in conflict management need to ponder over their
tactics and tools. The elitist or theoretical pursuit of peace building puts the saddle on the wrong
horse. Sadly, we have set a culture where-in the actual (perception) targets are never met
(defeating the goal of knowing the groundswell in the real sense). Peace building is the domain
of those who know how to study masses (despite a confusing human nature). The situationdemands an understanding of the masses and also of the minority view point (vested interests,
resistant forces, separatists, etc). Security practitioners, responsible for perception management
(they are still clueless about the real meaning of perception wars), should desist from using the
much hyped and often repeated myths or reductionist beliefs of violence encouraged from
Pakistan, paid stone pelters of Kashmir, Ummah vs nationalism, Saudi-Salafi (wahabi) growth
spiral and associated social tensions, Islamism and Islamic terror, proxy war dilemma, etc,
because dissent and dissenting voices are natural when people feel caged and perturbed about
social inequality and selective exclusivity. Peace vanishes permanently when McCarthyism
(practice of making unfair allegations in order to restrict dissent or political criticism) becomes
the norm, violence becomes the weapon, masses become targets, when innocents are tortured
and when trust deficit reaches its zenith. When conflicts prolong meaninglessly at the cost of
human lives and human dig
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