Look beyond Kashmir for jobs, Chidambaram tells Kashmiris

A group of some 40 students from the Kashmir Valley, now on a tour to north India, met Home Minister P. Chidambaram here Thursday, and during interaction with them he reiterated the government's commitment to bring peace and development to the terror-riven state.

A group of some 40 students from the Kashmir Valley, now on a tour to north India, met Home Minister P. Chidambaram here Thursday, and during interaction with them he reiterated the government's commitment to bring peace and development to the terror-riven state.

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"Peace is necessary for the developmental process to gain the required momentum in Jammu and Kashmir. If peace prevails in the state, everything that is available in other parts of the country in terms of development can be made available in Jammu and Kashmir," the minister told them.

"Look at the entire country and not just at Jammu and Kashmir for job opportunities," he urged the visiting students.

He said the central para-military forces were going to recruit about 2,000 youth in the state this year.

The group of 44 students is on a tour, sponsored by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and has visited Mathura, Agra, Jaipur and Ajmer. CRPF Director-General Vikram Srivastava was present during the interaction.