Jammu & Kashmir: Levels, Issues, and Prospects of Employment Generation

The book presents a comprehensive treatment of unemployment and economic problems in Jammu & Kashmir. Kashmir, being a conflict-ridden zone, has far less opportunities for employment than rest of the other states. With an underdeveloped industrial sector and the inability of government to create enough jobs, there seems to be no immediate solution. Lack of avenues to engage the youth in meaningful ways result in making miscreants out of many of them. Young populations across the world are generally seen as drivers of socio-economic growth, but in Kashmir, the youth bulge is a problem. Unemployed youths destabilize the economy by being used to create mayhem by the anti-social elements in the region. Underdevelopment and unemployment in Jammu & Kashmir is the manifestation of a mismatch between physical and human resources. This exists when a large segment of the working age population does not possess the appropriate skills and knowledge to be gainfully employed. In addition, lackadaisical and imprudent policies pursued by subsequent governments are the major challenge. A radical shift in its policies, especially in the education sector, is an absolute prerequisite for the birth of a capable workforce. The remedy lies in revamping the education sector by crafting appropriate policies for suitable skills in line with the socio-economic requirements of the society. The book argues the government must think about a long-term plan for unemployed youth and devise a policy to channel the youth bulge constructively.