By IANS,
Srinagar : Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair a task force with members drawn from industry and academia to promote tourism, trade and investment in the state, it was announced Saturday.
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the state government will also be actively involved in the initiative that will specifically identify areas and sectors that can be targeted for development.
The 38-year-old Abdullah, who took over as chief minister barely a month ago, told CII director general Chandrajit Banerjee that his top priority was to improve the skill sets of the youth to meet futuristic job requirements.
The chief minister also asked the industry lobby to specifically evolve plans for areas such as IT, horticulture and agro-processing that he said had great potential in the state and not disadvantaged by location.
Banerjee said CII will also set up a skills development centre in Jammu and Kashmir in partnership with the state government on an investment of Rs.1 crore (Rs.10 million) in various skill development initiatives.