By Farooq Wani,
For the final 3 decades, the folks of J&K has been the unfortunate victim of proxy war and this has triggered them immense. However, the Indian Army, which is currently performing the onerous job of guarding the borders as properly as combating militancy is also performing a lot to mitigate the sufferings of the folks as properly as enhance their high quality of life, each in urban and rural locations as properly as in really remote and inaccessible areas.
Since the Indian army has usually served as an instance of national integration, secularism and sacrifice, its folks-centric initiatives in J&K have been a resounding good results. Moreover, considering the fact that its rank and file come from all more than the nation and belongs to every single caste, neighborhood and stroll of life, it is a genuinely ‘peoples’ army’ and its properly-identified humane strategy has developed an exceptionally sturdy bond in between folks of Kashmir and the army.
In order to aid their Kashmiri brothers and sisters, the Army had conceived the concept of undertaking a extensive programme to address the simple requirements of the neighborhood and empower the locals. It was formalised by the government in the 90s as ‘Operation Sadbhavna’ and considering the fact that then, this project has benefitted lakhs of Kashmiris belonging to the weaker and much less privileged sections of society. From humble beginnings, this project run beneath the aegis of Udhampur primarily based Northern Command of Indian Army, has today grown into a multifaceted initiative that aims to genuinely empower Kashmiris and not merely pamper them.
In early 2020, there was a close to simultaneous transform of command of the Indian Army as properly as Northern Command. The new Army Chief Gen Naravane and Northern Army Commander Lt Gen YK Joshi undertook a de-novo drive towards Sadbhavana by producing education, skilling and employment generation as the concentrate locations of folks and other youth-centric initiatives. Some of its programmes include things like:
· Undertaking more than 30 to 40 engagements co-opting more than 15000 youth each day.
· Running 27 Army Goodwill Schools in Kashmir that provide high quality education at economical expense to young children in remote locations exactly where schooling facilities are either non-existent or primitive.
· Operating more than 80 centres for neighborhood improvement, skilling, girls empowerment and youth guidance.
· Conducting more than one hundred tours outdoors Kashmir to boost awareness amongst locals.
· Regular conduct of healthcare and veterinary camps in remote locations.
· Launching employment-producing initiatives.
· Inculcating interest in further-curricular activities and pursuing talent and hobbies by organising events exactly where the youth can demonstrate their talent and proficiency in music, art and sports.
· Furthering proficiency of neighborhood youth keen in adventure activity and mountaineering by facilitating their admission for attending adventure and mountaineering courses.
· Conduct of coaching for all-India competitive exams and establishment of Youth Employment Guidance Nodes.
With these new initiatives now forming element of Sadbhavana, the Army says “the tide is turning in favour of progress and achievement by youth.” Today, students from financially weak backgrounds studying Army Goodwill Schools are providing a hard competitors to these from affluent households studying in elite schools. This is due to the fact apart from a really proficient teaching employees, these Goodwill schools are equipped with modern day teaching aids, such as digital classrooms, modern day labs, properly-stocked libraries and fantastic sports infrastructure.
In an endeavour to empower Kashmiri youth, the Indian Army has established Skill Training Centres at quite a few locations exactly where specialised instruction in many fields primarily based on the educational qualification and interests of folks. For instance, although instruction in meals processing appeals to the much less educated, courses on Information Technology caters for the far better educated. In addition, the Army has also signed MoU with reputed firms like Tata Motors to train Kashmiri youth.
In what it could be known as a ‘game changer,’ the Army has taken up an exclusive programme for preparing meritorious students for IIT and other Engineering college entrance exams beneath a ‘Super 30’ programme in collaboration with the Center for Social Responsibility and leadership, although Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd has signed an MoU with Indian Army for the “Kashmir Super 30 (Medical)”. Programme. The final results accomplished are certainly really encouraging.
Drug abuse amongst the youth has been a matter of fantastic concern in the Kashmir Valley and in order to counter this menace, the Army has set up de-addiction counselling centres and in concert with the civil administration is conducting awareness programmes focusing on the dangerous effects of substance abuse.
Women empowerment by way of education, awareness and ability improvement is 1 of the prime concentrate objectives of Sadbhavana. The Army has assisted in the creation of self-aid groups that aid girls by offering them ability instruction, procuring and operating sewing and knitting machines as properly as raw material, so that they can earn funds by promoting their completed solutions.
In the sphere of sports, lots of massive names who are producing J&K proud have been supplied help by the Army to realize not only national but also international fame like Ms Tajamul Islam, the Kashmiri girl who developed history by winning a gold medal in the Under-8 category in the World Kickboxing Championship (2016) in Andria, Italy.
Now the time has come for resurrecting the idea of Kashmiriyat and for this Indian Army is the part model as the idea is so intrinsic to its personal philosophy. Kashmiri leaders and intelligentsia should really therefore place parochial considerations aside and work on reviving the conventional pluralistic and genuinely secular credentials of Kashmiri society.
(The author is an Editor Brighter Kashmir, Columnist, Political Analyst and Television Commentator. He can be reached at Email: [email protected]. Views expressed are individual.)