Focus on start-up culture to drive JK’s growth: Lt Guv
Says the real instrument of change is a trained, developed professional mind
Jammu: Lt Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday said the purpose of education is not merely to impart knowledge, but to prepare students for life’s challenges and opportunities.
“We should focus on soft skills, research, entrepreneurship, and a startup culture. The education sector must bring transformation through mentoring and academia–industry collaboration,” he said.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Jammu chapter of the Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD) here, the Lt Governor said, “Today’s challenges are complex and multi-dimensional. Their solution is possible only through collective effort and we must focus on this to actively drive Jammu Kashmir’s rapid growth.”
He directed the stakeholders to prioritise collaboration and create an environment where a professional community is built through networking, best practices, national and international exposure, and joint training programmes.
Sinha emphasised cooperation and dialogue to forge a strong, inclusive model of development for the Union Territory.
The Lt Governor asked the ISTD’s Jammu chapter to focus on job creation, make local talent more globally competitive, training, research, collaboration in industries, and the agriculture sector of Jammu-Kashmir to boost productivity and market linkage.
“The future is full of challenges but it is also brimming with opportunities. We must ensure we are ready to seize the new opportunities,” he said.
“The entire industrial ecosystem is changing. Therefore, keeping in view the shifts underway Jammu Kashmir’s industrial landscape must continually invest in new skills to enhance productivity.
“We must train our farmers in modern technology, scientific methods, and resource management to understand climate change, water crisis, and soil quality. At the same time, we must train them to produce more crops with fewer resources and to market their products more effectively,” he said.
Sinha said the administration is the backbone of any nation, and people today expect transparency, accountability, and efficiency from it.
“We must empower individuals and institutions to confront emerging challenges head-on, so that India’s dream of becoming the world’s greatest nation is realised. Universities and institutions must join hands with the ISTD to give shape to this resolve,” the Lt Governor said.
“The real instrument of change is a trained, developed professional mind who will become the foundation of our progress, the energy behind our inclusive growth, and a real vehicle for shaping the future,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor extended his felicitations to the entire team of Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD) for the new beginning. He said the ISTD’s Jammu Chapter will play a crucial role in strengthening the learning and development ecosystem and it will position Jammu as a regional hub for training and professional development.
The Lieutenant Governor observed that amid all transformation, one truth holds firm: the most powerful instrument of change available to any state, nation, or institution is not technology alone, nor capital alone, nor natural resources alone but trained, developed, and also awakened mind.
“The real instrument of change is a trained, developed professional mind. Trained human resources will become the foundation of our progress, the energy behind our inclusive growth, and a real vehicle for shaping the future,” the Lieutenant Governor further said.
Atul Shah, National President, Indian Society for Training & Development; Prof. K.S. Chandrasekar, Vice Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu and Mentor, ISTD Jammu Chapter; Prof Ashok Aima, Chairman, ISTD Jammu Chapter; Ankita Sharma, Regional Vice-President (North), ISTD; Prof Hardeep Chahal, Vice Chairperson, Dr Shahid Mushtaq, General Secretary and other members of ISTD Jammu Chapter; senior officials, heads of educational institutions and students in large number attended the inaugural ceremony.
