Jammu, Nov 15 (KNO): Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo Saturday chaired a high-level meeting to review departmental preparedness for the upcoming Youth Engagement & Empowerment Programme, a UT-wide initiative aimed at fostering meaningful participation of young people in cultural, educational, entrepreneurial, and community-oriented activities across all districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
The meeting was attended by several senior Administrative Heads, including the Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department; Principal Secretary, Culture; Commissioner Secretaries of Information, Youth Services & Sports, Industries & Commerce, Floriculture, and Rural Development Departments; Divisional Commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir; Secretary, IT; Secretary, Skill Development Department; Director General, Economics & Statistics; Director General, YS&S; DDG, NIC; Director Colleges; and other senior officers. Deputy Commissioners of all districts participated through video conferencing.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary sought detailed inputs from each department on their proposed activity calendars and strategies for the mega youth engagement campaign. He directed all departments to upload their comprehensive action plans on the dedicated portal created for the programme, along with details of nodal officers and date-wise reports of activities to be conducted.
Highlighting the vast potential for cultural enrichment, the Chief Secretary urged the Culture Department to design a vibrant and inclusive programme on the lines of initiatives by the Youth Services & Sports Department. He advised launching extensive cultural engagement activities in coordination with educational institutions across the UT, including poetry recitations, painting competitions, quizzes, skits, essay writing contests, and debates in schools and colleges.
The Chief Secretary also took this occasion to highlight the role of departments like Information, YS&S, School Education, Higher Education, Skill Development and that of the Agriculture and Industries departments for making this Youth Engagement programme a huge success here.
He emphasised that the programme should also serve as an opportunity to raise awareness among youth about various government employment schemes, livelihood opportunities, and welfare programmes across all towns and villages of J&K.
The Chief Secretary directed that the youth engagement portal be integrated with the Government of India’s MyGov platform to enhance visibility, access, and public engagement. He instructed all departments to finalize and submit their activity plans within 15 days, ensuring that the proposed calendar is comprehensive, inclusive, and aligned with the overall objectives of the programme to engage youth productively from start to end of this programme.
Addressing the Deputy Commissioners, the Chief Secretary stressed the need for strong oversight and effective coordination at the district level to ensure timely execution of all action points and to secure maximum participation of youth across the UT.
He further called for making the portal more dynamic by assigning department-wise and district-wise tabs up to the panchayat level, complete with high-quality geotagged images and videos documenting all activities for the interest and viewing of all—(KNO)