WEB DESK
Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to deploy liaison officers in 10 major cities across the India to assist students of the state pursuing higher education there.
The decision was taken at a meeting of State Administrative Council, which was chaired by Governor Satya Pal Malik.
An official spokesman said, designated liaison officers will be posted in New Delhi, Noida, Chandigarh, Aligarh, Bhopal, Pune, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai and Jaipur. They will coordinate with students belonging to Jammu and Kashmir whenever they are faced with situations related to regional identity. Each location will have a help centre, a temporary office with basic facilities, including telephone and the internet.
Around 20,000 students from J&K are pursuing higher studies in various colleges in other states. This year around 3,820 students got admission to various undergraduate courses. Since 2012, Jammu and Kashmir students have availed opportunities to obtain admission in colleges outside the state for undergraduate courses under the Prime Minister’s Special Scholarship Scheme (PMSSS).
The liaison officers positioned in these major cities would report directly to the resident commissioner, Jammu and Kashmir at New Delhi and coordinate with him and the state government regarding issues faced by the students. The higher education department will be the overall coordinating department in the state government.
Presences of Liaison Officers will give the students greater sense of safety and security as they can easily contact the Officer in case of any apprehensions or trouble. This would also remove apprehensions among the intending students who wish to study in outside state colleges and encourage them to move out of state for higher studies and better pursuits.