SRINAGAR: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday called for enhanced collaboration among stakeholders to build a strong professional ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that collective effort is essential to tackle complex and multi-dimensional challenges.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Indian Society for Training and Development (ISTD) Jammu Chapter at Padma Shri Padma Sachdev Government PG College for Women, Gandhinagar, Sinha said networking, adoption of best practices, exposure at national and international levels, and joint training programmes are vital to accelerating the Union Territory’s growth.
He emphasised that stakeholders across sectors must come together to deliberate, share experiences, and evolve joint solutions to create an inclusive and sustainable development model. Congratulating ISTD on establishing its Jammu Chapter, the Lieutenant Governor said the initiative would strengthen the learning and development ecosystem and help position Jammu as a regional hub for professional training.
Highlighting employment and entrepreneurship, Sinha urged the ISTD chapter to prioritise job creation and make local talent globally competitive. He noted that while challenges persist, emerging opportunities must be effectively harnessed.
The Lieutenant Governor stressed that education should prepare students for real-world challenges, calling for greater focus on soft skills, research, entrepreneurship, and a startup culture through academia–industry collaboration.
He also called for focused training and research in key sectors such as industry, startups, and agriculture to boost productivity and improve market linkages. Emphasising agricultural transformation, Sinha said farmers must be equipped with modern technology, scientific methods, and resource management skills to address climate change, water scarcity, and soil degradation.
On governance, he said administrative systems must evolve to meet citizens’ expectations of transparency, accountability, and efficiency, and become more citizen-centric.
Underscoring the importance of human capital, the Lieutenant Governor said trained and developed human resources are the most powerful drivers of change and will form the backbone of inclusive growth and future progress in Jammu and Kashmir.
Senior officials, academicians, ISTD representatives, and students attended the event.
