Shabir Ahmad
Jammu and Kashmir, once a place where dreams were drowned out by despair, is witnessing a quiet revolution. The Indian Army, long synonymous with safeguarding the nation’s frontiers, has emerged as an unlikely architect of aspiration.
Through a mosaic of educational initiatives, skill-building programs, and community outreach, the Army is empowering a generation of youth to trade rifles for résumés, and suspicion for solidarity.
On a crisp autumn morning in Baramulla’s Chotali village, 14-year-old Zara Begum steps into her upgraded classroom at the Government Middle High School—not with trepidation, but with the glow of possibility. “The smart boards make learning feel like magic,” she says, her fingers tracing interactive lessons on climate-resilient farming.
Zara’s story is one of thousands, a testament to the Army’s Operation Sadbhavana, which has illuminated pathways out of isolation for over 14,000 students across the region.
Launched in 1998 amid the turbulence of terrorism, Operation Sadbhavana—meaning “goodwill” in Hindi—began as a counterinsurgency strategy to win “hearts and minds.” Today, it has evolved into a comprehensive ecosystem for youth empowerment, blending military precision with social innovation. “The Army isn’t just defending borders; it’s building bridges to the future,” says senior Army officials.
Under this banner, the Army has established 46 Army Goodwill Schools (AGS) in J&K and Ladakh, enrolling nearly 14,000 children from remote, often conflict-scarred hamlets. These institutions, staffed by over 1,000 local teachers—many of them young J&K natives—offer free education, complete with computer labs, science facilities, and playgrounds.
The impact is profound: a staggering 100% pass rate in board exams at several AGS, with alumni advancing into prestigious careers as doctors, engineers, and even Army officers.
Take the Kashmir Super 30 and Super 50 programs—brainchildren of the AGS network. Modeled after Bihar’s famed coaching initiative, these programs target border-area prodigies preparing for medical (NEET) and engineering entrances. In a single year, 30 out of 35 Super 30 aspirants cracked NEET, securing MBBS and BDS seats across India.
Faika Farheen, a 16-year-old from an AGS in Rajouri, exemplifies this alchemy of opportunity. Her innovative “Drug Detection Device” project earned a spot at the National Science Model Exhibition, turning a schoolgirl’s curiosity into national acclaim. “The Army teachers believed in me when my village didn’t have electricity,” Farheen recalls.
Beyond academics, the schools instill life skills—debates sharpen rhetoric, sports tournaments build resilience, and cultural fests weave threads of unity in a divided landscape.
But education alone doesn’t suffice in a region where unemployment hovers at 18%—double the national average—and economic despair has often fueled unrest. Enter skill development—the Army’s pragmatic antidote.
The Chinar Youth Upliftment and Vocational Assistance (YUVA) Centre in Baramulla, a collaboration with ONGC, REACHA, and the Aseem Foundation since 2016, stands as a beacon of self-reliance. Here, over 5,800 youth—including 680 women—have been trained in high-demand fields like IT, hospitality, retail, and digital literacy.
Market research drives the curriculum. Courses now incorporate sustainability, teaching participants to upcycle plastics into eco-products amid Kashmir’s glacial melt and erratic harvests.
The results speak for themselves: more than 1,000 graduates employed in India and abroad, and 50 budding entrepreneurs launching ventures from boutique cafés to artisan workshops.
In Gurez Valley’s Baktore Youth Centre, a six-month tailoring course launched this fall under Sadbhavana is stitching dignity into women’s lives. “Every stitch is a step toward independence,” shares participant Rehana Akhtar, 22, whose machine whirs with the promise of income from custom embroidery.
Such programs extend to men too. A 45-day IT boot camp in Jammu earlier this year equipped 50 locals with coding and cybersecurity skills, many now freelancing for global firms. And in Kishtwar’s Chatroo, the Chenab Valley Marathon drew hundreds of runners—channeling youthful energy into medals and mentorship—as organizers from the Army’s White Knight Corps cheered on participants.
Integration tours add a national tapestry to this empowerment. Recently, 20 students and four teachers from Rajouri and Poonch embarked on a National Integration Tour to Maharashtra, visiting the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Artillery Centre in Pune. “Seeing the ‘Mecca of Armymen’ firsthand, I realized belief makes everything possible,” said one of the senior Army officials. Back home, the students vow to replicate the discipline and diversity they witnessed.
These efforts ripple beyond individuals, fostering community trust. In Poonch, local resident Moin Aftab Khan praises Army-hosted “nightclub” events—cultural extravaganzas featuring singers and dancers—that have drawn residents closer over the past two months. “We’ve stood with the Army since 1947; now, they’re empowering our youth,” he says.
Medical camps in Akhnoor provide free check-ups, while in Kathua, an Army doctor restored speech to an eight-year-old mute boy—earning the force enduring respect.
Critics may argue these are soft-power ploys, but data tells a starker truth: youth radicalization has plummeted as opportunities surge. The YUVA Centre’s 2025 accolades—the Sustainable Product Innovation Award at CASCA New Delhi and Best CSR for Skill Development in Pune—signal global recognition of this model.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha echoes this sentiment: “These schools turn fear into faith, creating a peaceful society stitch by stitch.”
As winter blankets the Pir Panjal, J&K’s youth stand taller—not as pawns in proxy wars, but as protagonists of progress. In Chotali’s smart classrooms, upgraded with digital tools and furniture donated by the Army, students like Zara dream of coding apps or curing ailments.
The Army’s message is clear: empowerment isn’t charity—it’s the strongest bulwark against despair. In a land of resilient spirits, this goodwill may just mark the dawn of enduring peace.
(The author can be contacted at welfare166@gmail.com)
