The rural development ministry is set to roll out a job-oriented skills development scheme in Jammu & Kashmir which aims to train one lakh youth over five years and provide placements to 1,500 in the first year.

Approved by the cabinet committee on economic affairs last month, the Skill Empowerment and Employment in J&K (SEE J&K) scheme will be implemented through competent training providers from the private sector and non-profit organisations. “This project aims to channel the aspirations of the youth in J&K who are looking for opportunities for education and employment,” said a ministry official.

The scheme is part of the two-pronged approach recommended by an expert group set up by the prime minister which had submitted its report in February. Along with identifying sectoral initiatives for growth and employment generation, the group had recommended an increase in employability of youth through an improvement in skill sets.

The rural development ministry will be the nodal agency to implement the scheme. The centrally-sponsored Swaranjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) scheme, which is currently implemented by the ministry and which forms the basis of this scheme, is limited to the rural youth below poverty line. The SEE J&K will cover all youth and provide training for salaried employment as well as self-employment.

It is estimated that 70% funds will be used to provide salaried employment linked training and the remaining 30% for self-employment linked training. Under the scheme, different training strategies will be used for diverse groups of youth – school dropouts, dropouts of XII class level and those who have had college education.

The scheme is scheduled to commence from June-July and the first set of placements are likely by October-November.

Hopefully, the unemployed youth in the valley who have taken to stone pelting at the slightest provocation will now have a more lucrative alternative.