The Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Nirmal Singh today said that promoting and sustaining traditional and valued Kashmiri ethos is the need of the hour to sustain peace and accelerate the developmental initiatives being undertaken in the state.The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking at a function ‘Milchaar’ organized by a private production house at SKICC here today. The Minister of State for Tourism and Education Ms Priya Sethi was also present on the occasion.The Deputy Chief Minister said Kashmir has since times immemorial been known as the land of spirituality, peace and knowledge and the onus lies on the present generation to ensure its propagation and adherence. He said youth should come forward and play a participatory role in propagating the importance of peace in the present days.Quoting from the history Dr Singh said that several leading intellectuals, philosophers and leaders have always maintained that Kashmir is a cradle of spirituality and Sufism which if propagated in a proper perspective can play an effective role in the sub-continent and usher an era of peace and prosperity in this part of globe.
Dr Singh said the youth of the State have made their mark in different fields of life at various national and international fora and need of the hour is to celebrate their achievements so that they get the requisite encouragement which would in turn make them to strive for excellence.He said the Government is also doing its bit in trying to tap the young human resource by way of introducing and implementing various youth centric schemes.Complementing the organizers for holding these types of functions, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the frequency of should be increased so that involvement of youth in programmes related to art and culture is increased. He said the youth of the Valley are highly talented in the field of music and creativity and the need of the hour is to ensure its proper channelization.The Minister of State for Tourism and Education Ms Priya Sethi while speaking at the programme said that these type of programmes should be held on a regular basis for providing a chance to the youth to showcase their talent besides also getting an opportunity of performing with the stalwarts of the creative field. She said the youth of the state have a tremendous inherent creative talent which needs to be honed and channelized in a proper manner so that they can make mark at national and international levels.Later the Deputy Chief Minister distributed prizes among various young achievers from the valley besides the participating artists as well as the students.