Kashmiri drivers on educational tour to Kolkata, seek jobs

A group of young drivers from the militancy-hit regions of Kashmir are on a fortnight-long auto-technology awareness tour to eastern India during which they will also seek suitable jobs for themselves.
Organised under the Indian Army's 'Operation Sadbhavna', the ongoing 'Educational-cum-Auto Tech Awareness Tour' for the young drivers is aimed at enhancing their awareness on preventive maintenance, repair and upkeep of vehicles, thus enabling them to gain proficiency in their profession.
The 20-member group include people, who are already driving commercial SUVs for a living, and a few others who are still learning to drive for a similar livelihood in Sopore region of Kashmir.

During a meeting today, Eastern Army Commander Lt Gen M M S Rai told the visitors that such tours would give them exposure and show them the right way forward after they have seen for themselves development elsewhere in the country as a result of enduring peace.
Apart from sight-seeing during their tour, they also will have a look at possible job opportunities in their chosen vocations outside the Kashmir valley, an Army spokesperson said.
For long the Indian Army has been taking groups of children and in some instances, elderly citizens too, from Jammu and Kashmir and the north-eastern states to major cities in the country, for them to see progress of the nation under Ops 'Sadbhavna' and 'Samaritan'.

The team has already visited Tata Motors factory in Jamshedpur and will also go to Hindustan Motors facilities near Kolkata apart from seeing other landmarks in the city.