Srinagar: Asserting that employment generation in the state has been flagged as top most concern by his government, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today announced fast track recruitment of 80,000 educated youth in government service in the coming months.
"As many as 80,000 educated youth will be provided government jobs by fast track recruitment through service selection agencies within next some months," Omar said while addressing a rally of panches and sarpanches here.
The rally coincided with the completion of four years of the National Conference led coalition government in the state.
"We have already set in motion a mechanism to fill up vacancies in government departments as fast as possible," Omar said.
The chief minister also indicated the intension of the government to make provision in the next year's Budget for stipend and insurance cover of sarpanches and panches irrespective of getting any financial support from the Centre in this regard.
"This is likely to involve Rs 100 crores annually," he said.
Omar said that a powerful Panchayat Raj system in the state is his government's commitment and every effort would be made to realise this goal.
"Jammu and Kashmir is a state which cannot be governed from the Secretariat but by the grass root level democratic institutions representing aspirations of the people, as such, we have moved forward with a commitment to create a powerful panchayat system in the state," he said.