The Rural Development Secretary has stressed that active participation of all districts is necessary to promote agricultural exports under the ‘House of Himalayas’ brand. While reviewing the progress of schemes linked to migration prevention, border area development and the Vibrant Village Programme, officials were directed to speed up pending works from the previous year and ensure that unit costs strictly follow departmental norms.
During the review, clear instructions were issued that all training-related schemes must comply with NSQF standards and follow the cost norms set by the Ministry of Skill Development. Where required, specialised training programmes should be conducted through the Chief Minister’s Entrepreneurship Scheme to ensure better employment outcomes.
District administrations were also asked to collect data of unemployed youth from the Employment Department and carry out skill gap analysis. The focus is to align training with local needs and youth aspirations, especially in sectors such as tourism and hospitality, retail services, information technology, healthcare, electronics, logistics, agriculture, horticulture and food processing.
On agricultural exports, the secretary underlined that products under the ‘House of Himalayas’ brand must have NPOP or NOP certification, as PGS certification alone is not sufficient for exports. Districts were instructed to start pilot projects at block or cluster level for certification and processing and submit lists of selected villages or clusters to the department. The emphasis was placed on making district administrations more proactive, as delays at the local level could slow down export expansion.
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Officials said the initiative aims to strengthen regional agriculture, improve global competitiveness of state products and generate economic activity in rural areas, which could help reduce unemployment if implemented effectively on the ground.
