SRINAGAR, JULY 25: In a major push towards youth empowerment and digital transformation in Jammu & Kashmir, Satish Sharma, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs, Transport, Information Technology, Youth Services & Sports, held a key meeting today with top executives from Google India.
The Minister met Ashish Wattal, Country Director, Google India, and Sanjay Dewan, Head, North States, Public Sector, Google, to explore strategic collaborations that can help foster digital inclusion, entrepreneurship, and employment generation for the youth of the region.
Highlighting the untapped potential of J&K’s youth, the Minister said, “Jammu & Kashmir’s young minds are full of talent and ideas. Our priority is to create a platform that helps them turn these ideas into impactful solutions. Partnerships with global tech leaders like Google can open new doors in digital education, skilling, and innovation.”
He urged Google India to support the UT Government in launching targeted initiatives such as digital literacy campaigns, customized skill development programs, and technology-enabled entrepreneurship models, especially for youth in rural and underserved areas.
Reaffirming their commitment, the Google India team expressed strong interest in collaborating with the J&K Government. They extended support for creating region-specific training programs, certification courses, and digital empowerment workshops tailored for students, professionals, and budding entrepreneurs.
The Minister also directed officers of the IT Department to prepare a concrete action plan for launching pilot projects in key areas such as cloud training, AI applications, IT education, and setting up innovation labs to promote grassroots-level digital innovation.
The meeting marked a forward-looking step in leveraging technology to drive inclusive growth, skill development, and job creation across Jammu & Kashmir.
