FM to visit Jammu today
Srinagar, Nov 22: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman on Monday said people of Jammu and Kashmir will get facilities and development which was denied them before the abrogation of article 370 to the erstwhile state. The Finance Minister is also scheduled to visit Jammu Tawi city of Jammu District of Jammu Region on Tuesday and address at Zorawar Singh Stadium, Jammu University.
Sitharaman said it is important now for the people of Jammu and Kashmir to get all its aspirations including development and facilities which were denied to them prior to the abrogation of article 370.
“There is no point in holding a section of people all resources and denying ordinary citizens”, she said and added “that is where you find the ordinary citizens today”.
The Finance Minister who arrived on a two day visit to Jammu and Kashmir was speaking during the inauguration of “The Chinar”, the first permanent establishment of Income Tax India in UT, in Srinagar.
She said, without any delay every citizens aspirations should be given space in the development and that is what the central government has been given post the abrogation of Article 370.
The finance minister said, Jammu and Kashmir lacks the development in the past especially in the power sector despite having tremendous potential.
She said despite Jammu and Kashmir having a potential capacity of about 20000 MW to produce electricity failed to develop the basic materials which could have been utilized for living and economic purposes.
She said, because the power generation not coming up to the expectations over the years has denied the people of Jammu and Kashmir its own developmental goals.
“Without basic supplies of electricity for a beautiful state like Kashmir, potential-ridden development has always been at its minimum” , Sitharaman said.
She said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal with the guiding principles is “Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikas, Sab Ka Vishwaas and Sab Ka Prayaas”.
“You have all the vishwaas, but if you don't have the required endowments for it, development is not going to be achieved as much as we want”, she added
She said four thousand people were killed due to terrorism over the past years on a land which is otherwise so beautiful and peaceful.
She said the larger issue is reaching out to every person in Jammu and Kashmir, giving his or her due share of development which has been denied to them for the last 70 years.
“Shall now be reaching every citizen of the state and that is why we are here”, She added.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman Monday inaugurated works pertaining to Health, Education, Urban infrastructure and disaster management (amounting to Rs 130.49 crore) and also laid the foundation stone for Union Territory (UT) Level Emergency Operation Centre and SCADA control building at Budgam, Kashmir (amounting to Rs 34.88 crore) under the Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) during her visit to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.
The sub-projects are part of the Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) which is assisted by a credit of $250 million from the World Bank.
The project was started in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the devastating floods of September 2014 which severely affected low lying areas of Anantnag, Srinagar and adjoining districts causing immense damage to housing, livelihoods and roads and bridges.
It has been under implementation by Government of J&K as part of the Prime Minister's Development Package (PMDP) for J&K since its effective date of 19.04.2016. The project aims at both restoring essential services disrupted by the floods and improving the design standard and practices to increase resilience.
The high social impact of JTFRP was felt in the COVID-19 pandemic response by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, wherein an amount of $50 million was allocated and utilized for the COVID-19 response, by activating the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) under the project.
Medical equipment worth Rs 290 crore and 30 oxygen generating plants at a total cost of Rs 75 crore were procured thereby giving a boost to the health infrastructure to cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic.
In a significant step towards the self–reliance of the artisans of Jammu and Kashmir, many artisan clusters were developed under this project with an objective of reviving the traditional crafts and providing gainful employment opportunities to youth.
One major recent achievement of the project has been the enlistment of Srinagar city in the UNESCO world creative cities network. Srinagar became one of the 49 cities worldwide to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) under the Craft & Folk Arts category which is a moment of pride for all Indians.
