SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday called for greater educational, technological and employment opportunities for youth living in Jammu and Kashmir’s border areas, saying every child should have the confidence and resources to pursue their aspirations.
Sinha was speaking at a felicitation ceremony organised by Wadies Hindi Shiksha Samiti in collaboration with the Jammu Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages, where meritorious students were honoured.
Congratulating the students, teachers and parents, the Lieutenant Governor said the achievers were not merely winners of a competition but represented India’s traditions of knowledge, literature and culture.
Highlighting the importance of the mother tongue, Sinha described language as an integral part of identity, memory and cultural sensibility. He said Jammu and Kashmir’s linguistic diversity reflected the confluence of India’s shared cultural traditions and noted the emphasis placed by the National Education Policy on early education in the mother tongue and Indian languages.
“The real development of Jammu Kashmir will come when a child in our border villages can say with confidence, ‘I can fulfil my dreams,’” Sinha said, describing children and youth from border areas as possessing courage and talent.
He outlined five broad areas for youth empowerment in border regions—education and technology, employment and entrepreneurship, sports and culture, access to opportunities, and guidance and mentorship.
The Lieutenant Governor called for smart classrooms, digital libraries and skill-development programmes to reach remote villages. He also stressed the need to create opportunities in handicrafts, horticulture, agriculture, tourism and local industries so that young people can become job creators as well as job seekers.
Sinha further called for ensuring that scholarships, digital platforms, training programmes and national and international competitions remain accessible to youth in border areas. He directed officials to facilitate visits by professionals from Jammu and Kashmir to interact with students in these areas at least twice a year.
Urging students to remain connected to their language and cultural heritage while embracing science, technology and modern knowledge, Sinha said every student possessed a special ability that should be transformed into responsibility.
He also appreciated the efforts of Wadies Hindi Shiksha Samiti in promoting the Hindi language and wished the students a bright future.
Senior officials, representatives of cultural and educational organisations, heads of educational institutions, teachers and students of Army Goodwill Schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas attended the event.
