PILLAI 2 LAST

The Indian Home Secretary said despite hiccups in the
composite dialogue between India and Pakistan, New Delhi wants
to reach out to people of the neighbouring country through
various ways, including cultural exchange programmes.
"Official level composite dialogue has not taken off the
way we would have wanted it to take off. But people-to-people
talks are on. We are encouraging musical, cultural programmes,
and drama festivals between the two countries. We are
encouraging Pakistanis to come here on these grounds," he
said.
Replying to a question of a Kashmiri student as to why
did it took the Centre four months to react to the deaths of
students in Jammu Kashmir in last summer, Pillai said, "I
agree it should not have taken so long but governance is a
huge issue for the Central government.
"Why can't the state government solve some issues on its
own. At every stage the Centre is expected to fill in. You
have to empower the people. The government has to be
decentralised, has to reach out to people," he said.
The Home Secretary said transparency was important and it
was extremely important for people to know what was happening,
where was the money, what was the money available for various
schemes and how it was being spent.
"That is why the setting up of an Information Commission
in Jammu and Kashmir as well as strengthening of Human Rights
Commission, setting up of a Child Rights Council are issues
which are part of confidence building measures. We hope that
the state government would take up such things in the coming
days," he said.
Pillai said the Central government was taking up the
issue of discrimination against the Kashmiris with some of the
state governments.
He also said the Centre was also asking corporate India
to give jobs to youths of Jammu and Kashmir in different parts
of the country.
"We think they can absorb 1,00,000 youths in jobs all
over India in the next 12 months," he said. PTI