Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that Jammu and Kashmir is touching new heights of development because it is “breathing freely” after the abrogation of Article 370. He also said that for decades, the Congress and its allies had misled the people of J&K and the country in the name of Article 370.
PM Modi was addressing the Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir program in Srinagar. He also claimed that removal of Article 370 has led to the respect of the youth’s talent and equal rights and equal opportunities for everyone.
Stating that J&K has been the biggest victim of dynastic politics since independence, the Prime Minister assured the people that the development campaign for J&K will not stop at any cost and the region will develop more rapidly in the next five years.
During the programme, PM Modi distributed appointment orders to about 1000 new Government recruits of J&K and also interacted with beneficiaries of various government schemes including women achievers, lakhpati didis, farmers, entrepreneurs etc. Further, he dedicated various developmental projects that will provide a major boost to the agri-economy of J&K, namely:
– ‘Holistic Agriculture Development Programme’ (HADP) which is an integrated program encompassing the full spectrum of activities in the three major domains of agri-economy viz Horticulture, Agriculture and Livestock husbandry in Jammu and Kashmir. The programme will equip about 2.5 lakh farmers with skill development via a dedicated Daksh Kisan portal. Under the programme, about 2000 Kisan Khidmat Ghars will be established and robust value chains will be put in place for the welfare of the farming community.
– Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD schemes worth more than Rs 1400 crore which include development of ‘Integrated Development of Hazratbal Shrine’ in Srinagar, J&K; tourism facilities developed in Northeast circuit in Meghalaya; Spiritual Circuit in Bihar and Rajasthan; Rural and Tirthankar Circuit in Bihar; development of Jogulamba Devi Temple, Jogulamba Gadwal District, Telangana; and development of Amarkantak Temple, Annupur District, Madhya Pradesh.
– ‘Integrated Development of Hazratbal Shrine’ project which includes site development of the entire area including the construction of boundary wall of the Shrine; illumination of Hazratbal shrines precinct; improvement of Ghats and Devri Paths around the Shrine; construction of Sufi interpretation center; construction of Tourist Facilitation Centre; installation of signages; multilevel storied car parking; construction of public convenience block and entrance Gateway of the Shrine among others.
– PM launched about 43 projects that will develop a wide range of pilgrimage and tourist sites across the country. These include important religious sites like the Annavaram Temple in Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh; Navagraha Temples in Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai District of Tamilnadu and Karaikal district of Puducherry; Sri Chamundeshwari Devi Temple, Mysore District, Karnataka; Karni Mata Mandir, Bikaner District Rajasthan; Maa Chintpurni Temple, Una District, Himachal Pradesh; Basilica of Bom Jesus Church, Goa, among others. The projects also include development of various other sites and experience centers like Mechuka Adventure Park in Arunachal Pradesh; Rural Tourism Cluster Experience at Gunji, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand; Ecotourism zone at Ananthagiri forest, Ananathagiri, Telangana; Meghalayan Age Cave Experience and Waterfall Trails Experience at Sohra, Meghalaya; Reimagining Cinnamara Tea Estate, Jorhat, Assam; Ecotourism experience at Kanjli Wetland, Kapurthala, Punjab; Julley Leh Biodiversity Park, Leh, among others.
– Prime Minister announced 42 tourist destinations selected under Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) Scheme. The innovative scheme, announced during Union Budget 2023-24, aims to provide end-to-end tourist experiences by catalyzing the development of tourist destinations while also promoting sustainability and ushering competitiveness in the tourism sector. The 42 destinations have been identified in four categories – 16 in Culture & Heritage Destination, 11 in spiritual destinations, 10 in Ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar and 5 in Vibrant Village.
– The first-ever nationwide initiative to identify the pulse of the nation on tourism was also launched in the form of ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice 2024’. The nationwide poll aims to engage with citizens to identify the most preferred tourist attractions and understand tourist perceptions across 5 tourism categories – Spiritual, Cultural & Heritage, Nature & Wildlife, Adventure, and other categories. Besides the four main categories, the ‘other’ category is where one can vote for their personal favorites and help uncover hidden tourism gems in the form of unexplored tourism attractions and destinations like Vibrant Border Villages, Wellness Tourism, Wedding Tourism etc. This poll exercise is being hosted on the MyGov platform, the citizen engagement portal of the Government of India.
– ‘Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign’ to inspire the Indian diaspora to become Incredible India ambassadors and promote tourism to India. The campaign is being launched based on the clarion call of Prime Minister Modi, wherein he requested Indian diaspora members to encourage at least 5 non-Indian friends to travel to India. With more than 3 crore overseas Indians the Indian diaspora can serve as a powerful catalyst for Indian tourism, acting as cultural Ambassadors.
