Div Com inaugurates 3-day employment mela at Khag

            Budgam, March 17: Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir , Dr. Asgar Samoon today inaugurated 3-days employment fair at Khag of district Budgam. The mela has been organised by district administration in collaboration with Employment and Counselling Centre, Budgam.

            The District Development Commissioner, Budgam, Mr. Mohammad Rafi, Deputy Director, Employment and Counselling, District Officers and a large number of people including youth were present on the occasion.

            In all, 20 departments installed their stalls including agriculture, horticulture, handicrafts, animal husbandry, fisheries, health, industries etc.

            Addressing on the occasion, the Divisional Commissioner, in his inaugural address, gave details of the schemes sponsored by the state and central governments for tackling unemployment problem in the valley and asked them not to hanker after white collar jobs only but taken benefit of the employment schemes under implementation in the valley. He said the financial institutions functioning in the valley are liberally providing financial assistance for setting up of income generating units. He said the Chief Minister, Mr. Omar Abdullah is himself monitoring the implementation of SKEWPY and other schemes in this behalf. Mr. Samoon said that Mr. Rangarajan, Chairman Job Plan Committee, has recently handed over the report regarding various employment opportunities to the Chief Minister.

            The DDC Budgam asked the unemployed youth who attended the mela today to visit all the stalls and get themselves aware about various employment schemes.

            Later, the Divisional Commissioner distributed Rs. 16 lakh as first instalment among 30 small self help groups for establishing their income generating ventures. The J&K bank and SBI has approves Rs. 1.16 crore for the purpose.