‘J&K development up 10 times in 4 yrs’
*UT farmers will be No. 1 in 4 years
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Feb 13: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today said that instead of hartal calendars issued earlier from Pakistan, now festival calendars are issued by the UT administration in Jammu and Kashmir and once the terror hotspots have now been replaced with tourist hotspots. He said the talks of stone pelting and grenade attacks have been taken over by night life at Jhelum and December 31 celebrations video at Lal Chowk, Srinagar.
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Launching ‘J&K Sambhaav Utsav-2024’ organized by the Resident Commission Jammu Kashmir at J&K House New Delhi this morning, Sinha said Jammu and Kashmir is not known today with stone pelting and grenade attacks but with night life at Jhelum, December 31 celebrations video at Lal Chowk, urban transformation, Polo View market and tourist boom.
“If you visit Polo View Market in Srinagar, you will forget Khan Market of New Delhi,’’ he asserted.
Referring to sea changes witnessed by Jammu and Kashmir during last four years, the Lieutenant Governor said: “Today the hartal calendars are not issued from Pakistan but it is the J&K administration which issues festival calendars. Once the terror hotspots in Kashmir have now been converted into tourist hotspots’’.
He said Shopian and Pulwama which were known for headlines for other reasons (a reference towards terror hotspots) are now being known for cinemas and cafes. Youth now have laptops in their hands instead of stones, he added.
Pointing to the grant of Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to Paharis and other tribes recently by the Central Government, he said a large population was Jammu and Kashmir was deprived of their rights but now under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they are being socially and economically strengthened.
“When there will be ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India), there should be role of everyone in decision making,’’ he added.
Sinha said there was a time when not even President of India or the soldiers who sacrifice their lives for the country could purchase even an inch of land in Jammu and Kashmir but Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his political will power ended this system and now J&K is marching ahead along with the country.
Asserting that there has been 10-time increase in development in Jammu and Kashmir during last four years, he said in 2018-19, nearly 9000 projects were executed while the number has gone up to 92,000 last year.
“Jammu and Kashmir farmers are presently at fifth place in income in India. After four years, they will be No. 1 in the country,’’ he said.
Sinha said arrival of foreign tourists has gone up by two and half times after G20 meeting in Srinagar while number of tourists visiting the UT was 1.97 crore in 2022 which further went up to 2.13 crore in 2023. In 2022, Gurez was declared as beautiful offbeat tourist destination while in 2023 it was Lolab. These places are more beautiful than European destinations, he added.
The Lieutenant Governor reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir Bank was in Rs 1234 crore loss in 2019 but today it is in Rs 1300 crore profit which is expected to jump to Rs 1800 crore by end of the year. Non-Performing Assets (NPAs) have come down while shares of the Bank have gone up, he said.
An official handout said: – On the eve of Basant Panchami, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha launched ‘J&K Sambhaav Utsav-2024’, organized by Resident Commission Jammu Kashmir at J&K House, New Delhi today.
He also launched Information-cum-facilitation hub ‘Hello J&K’; Digital Photography, Painting and Singing competitions for Youth on the theme “Know Jammu Kashmir” and inaugurated various new projects undertaken by J&K’s Resident Commission.
The Lt Governor congratulated the officials of the Resident Commission Jammu Kashmir and all the associated departments of J&K Government.
He said the 7-day long vibrant exhibition will represent the very best of cultural artistic heritage, cuisine, agriculture and handicraft products of J&K.
“Sambhaav Utsav also put the spotlight on the future of J&K which is readying to contribute in Viksit Bharat. It is a perfect occasion to reiterate our resolve to revive the ancient heritage and preserve it for the generations to come,” he added.
Sinha said the new beginning by the J&K Resident Commission will provide glimpses of a new and resurgent J&K to the visitors.
The Lt Governor said the ‘Hello J&K’ initiative launched today will connect the youth of Jammu Kashmir with domain experts from various fields, both online and offline, facilitating a rich exchange of knowledge, insights and opportunities.
“It will be a one-stop center for education, entrepreneurship, livelihood, health and wellness, tour and travel guidance, safety & security of citizens of Jammu Kashmir living outside the UT”, he said.
The Lt Governor also highlighted the key initiatives of the UT Administration including Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), GI tagging for niche products, better market linkage, capacity building of farmers and promotion of local products.
A number of departments including Tourism, JKTPO, Agriculture, Horticulture, Information and Technology are showcasing their activities in different ways to a wide array of stakeholders during the exhibition.
Products of diverse range, featuring ODOP items, Handmade GI-tagged carpets, GI-tagged Pashmina shawls, silk sarees, chain stitches, authentic Kashmiri suits, paper mache, crewel woodcarving items etc have been put to display for the visitors and the potential buyers.
On the occasion, Naya Jammu Kashmir Short Film Making competition by Department of Information & Public Relations J&K was also launched.
The Information Department invited the filmmakers and citizens of J&K to participate in the competition and submit their short films highlighting development in Jammu Kashmir over the last four years. The Winners will have the opportunity to interact with leading filmmakers in Mumbai. The contest will remain open till February 28, 2024.
The facilities inaugurated by the Lt Governor today include Officers’ Transit Accommodation at Rajaji Marg, Office- cum- Utility Area at J&K House, Chanakyapuri and Fitness Centre at JK House, 5- Prithviraj Road.
Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisor to Lt Governor; Satish Chandra, Chairman RERA; Dr Rashmi Singh, Principal Resident Commissioner; senior officials of J&K Government; members of business and trade associations, representatives of SIDBI, PHD Chamber, ASSOCHAM, FICCI, Invest India, NGOs; artisans, entrepreneurs, artists and citizens of J&K living in the national capital and other parts of the country were present.
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