Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, July 28

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said his government had a responsibility to expand employment opportunities beyond government jobs, including through private-sector recruitment, entrepreneurship, and closer links between industry and educational institutions.

Speaking at the closing session of the 77th state-level mega job fair at Amar Singh College, Abdullah said colleges and universities should play a larger role in helping students move from education into employment.

He said higher education institutions in Jammu and Kashmir had traditionally treated graduation as the end of their responsibility, but needed to remain engaged with students through career support and recruitment initiatives.

The job fair, organised by Cluster University Srinagar and Desh Bhagat University, had produced encouraging results, Omar said.

Of nearly 5,300 registered candidates, around 470 had received job offers and another 430 had reached the final stages of recruitment, he said.

That meant nearly 900 young people had either secured jobs or were close to employment, Abdullah said.

He called for campus recruitment to become a regular feature across universities and colleges in Jammu and Kashmir, including the University of Kashmir, Islamic University of Science and Technology, University of Jammu and Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.

“If we cannot provide government employment to every young person, then it becomes our duty to open more doors of opportunity,” Abdullah said.

“We cannot simply tell our youth to look elsewhere; we must create opportunities for them through private sector engagement, skill development and industry partnerships,” he said.

Abdullah said the region had a large pool of talented young people but needed to provide them with greater exposure and wider opportunities.

He also highlighted entrepreneurship as an alternative to conventional employment, saying the government was working to strengthen the startup ecosystem and connect young entrepreneurs with venture capital and institutional support.

The government, he said, would continue efforts to ensure that young people in Jammu and Kashmir had access to opportunities comparable with those available elsewhere in India and abroad.

Earlier, Abdullah handed offer letters to selected candidates.

A memorandum of understanding was also signed between Cluster University Srinagar and Desh Bhagat University, Punjab, to strengthen academic cooperation, skill development and employment opportunities.

More than 50 employers from across India, including companies operating in the Gulf and Middle East, participated in the job fair.