Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Sunday announced setting up a panel of 25 eminent sportspersons, each for Jammu and Kashmir divisions, who will hold interactions with the young sports talents in educational institutions and sports academies.

The announcement was made by Sinha while addressing the people of the Union Territory through the 19th edition of the ‘Awaaz Ki Awaaz’ radio programme.

Pratibha Sharma from Jammu had made a suggestion for setting up of an institutional mechanism to involve sportspersons of national or international repute for direct regular interaction with aspiring and young sports talents in the educational institutions.

Replying to her, the Lt Governor announced the decision of setting up a panel of 25 eminent sportspersons each for both the divisions of Jammu and Kashmir.

The school and higher education department will together prepare a calendar of interactions with the children which will motivate the future generation to perform better, Sinha said.

He also said for a clean habitat, people must come together to remove encroachments and restore wetlands.

The administration has prepared an integrated action plan for ecological conservation and about Rs 47 crore is being spent to save this priceless natural heritage, he added.

After 30 years, traditional navigation route of Khushal Sar was cleared and arrangements were made for the movement of ‘Shikaras’ to Gilikadal and Zadibal, in the interior areas of the city, Sinha said.

Noting the unmatched progress being recorded in the tourism sector of J-K, the Lt Governor emphasised the necessity of collective role of all citizens to protect the ecology in view of the ever-increasing influx of tourists in the coming years.

Sinha said the administration has made a substantial increase in the budget for the allocation of funds for agriculture and rural development and for the financial help of the farmers.

“Policies and programmes are being designed to bridge the gap between the rural and urban population,” he said.

The Lt Governor said the UT administration is fully determined to make women educationally, socially and economically empowered.

Efforts are also being made for training, skill development and marketing through cooperative societies and self-help groups to provide institutional support to the products of women entrepreneurs. Instructions have been issued to all departments to ensure maximum procurement through self-help groups and women entrepreneurs, he added.

Sinha said under the Karkhandar’ scheme started two years ago, 26 factory units have already been set up so that young children and girls could join this sector. Handicraft clusters are also being established with the help of Khadi and Village Industries, which are working smoothly for design, marketing and up-gradation of skills, he added.