Srinagar: Terming unemployment as a major challenge, Chief Minister Mehbboba Mufti on Sunday said that her government was taking many steps to tide over it.
Addressing a gathering after distributing engagement orders under Rehbar-e-Janglat (ReJ) scheme among the 534 forestry graduates, Mehbooba said private sector was being encouraged to invest and entrepreneurship was being promoted among the youth to generate more job avenues.
“This is in addition to development of sectors like tourism, handicrafts, horticulture etc which also have a high employability rate,” she said.
Mehbooba also asked the ReJs to work with dedication for protecting the forests in the State.
She asked them to use enthusiasm, professional qualification and expertise to undertake innovative means to ensure that depletion of green cover in the State is arrested.
Quoting the famous verse of sufi Saint Hazrat Sheikh Noor ud Din Wali (R.A.)—“Ann Poshi Teli Yeli Wann Poshi (food is subservient to forests)”— Mehbooba underscored the need for protecting plant life for the well being of human race.
She also praised the Forest Department for planting a sizeable chunk of fruit trees in the forest areas to avoid wild animals move out in search of food, thus minimizing the chances of man-animal conflict.
The Chief Minister, on the occasion, also launched the online consent management and monitoring system of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB). “This would enable issuance of online permission certificates in favour of intending unit holders without them having to visit the offices,” she said.
Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment, Choudhary Lal Singh also spoke on the occasion and outlined the steps taken by his department for streamlining its activities.
He said timber distribution has been streamlined to weed out chances of corruption and influence. He said plantation drives have been undertaken at many vacant spaces which is expected to improve the green cover in the State.
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