Srinagar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will announce major development projects for Jammu and Kashmir during his one-day visit to Srinagar, an official spokesman said on Wednesday.
Modi will arrive in Srinagar on Thursday (tomorrow), and it will be his first visit to Kashmir after J&K’s special status was scrapped in August 2019. Soon after arriving in Srinagar, he will address a public rally at Bakshi Stadium.
Unprecedented security arrangements have been put in place in Srinagar to ensure a peaceful event.
The venue of the public rally has been secured and taken over by the Special Protection Group (SPG).
Prime Minister will participate in the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir’ programme at Bakshi Stadium, Srinagar, officials said.
During the program, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation about Rs 5000 crore worth of program the ‘Holistic Agriculture Development Programme’—for boosting the agri-economy in J&K.
He will also dedicate to the nation and launch multiple projects related to the tourism sector worth more than Rs 1400 crore under the Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive) scheme, including the project for ‘Integrated Development of Hazratbal Shrine’, Srinagar.
The Prime Minister will also launch the ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice Tourist Destination Poll’ and ‘Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign’.
He will also announce tourist destinations selected under the Challenge-Based Destination Development (CBDD) Scheme. Besides, the Prime Minister will distribute appointment orders to about 1000 new government recruits in Jammu and Kashmir and will also interact with beneficiaries of various government schemes, including women achievers, lakhpati didis, farmers, entrepreneurs, etc.
In a step that will provide a major boost to the agri-economy of Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister will dedicate the ‘Holistic Agriculture Development Programme’ (HADP) to the nation. HADP is an integrated programme 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 is expected to 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. The programme will lead to employment generation, benefiting lakhs of marginal families in Jammu and Kashmir.
PM’s vision is to improve the overall experience of tourists and pilgrims visiting prominent pilgrimage and tourism sites nationwide by building world-class infrastructure and amenities at these sites.
To create world-class infrastructure and amenities for pilgrims and tourists visiting the Hazratbal Shrine and to enhance their holistic spiritual experience, the project ‘Integrated Development of Hazratbal Shrine’ has been executed.
The key components of the project include site development of the entire area, including the construction of the boundary wall of the Shrine; the Illumination of the Hazratbal shrine Precinct; the improvement of Ghats and Devri Paths around the Shrine; the construction of the Sufi interpretation centre, the construction of a Facilitation facilitation centre, the installation of Signages; multilevel storied car parking, the construction of a public convenience block, and entrance Gateway of the shrine, among others.
The Prime Minister will also launch 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 districts of Tamil Nadu 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; and the Basilica of Bom Jesus Church, Goa, among others. The projects also include development of various other sites and experience centres 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; and Julley Leh Biodiversity Park, Leh, among others.
During the programme, the Prime Minister will announce 42 tourist destinations selected under the Challenge-Based Destination Development (CBDD) Scheme. The innovative scheme, announced during Union Budget 2023–24, aims to provide end-to-end tourist experiences by catalysing 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 and Heritage destinations; 11 in spiritual destinations; 10 in ecotourism and Amrit Dharohar; and 5 in Vibrant Village.
Prime Minister will launch the first-ever nationwide initiative to identify the pulse of the nation on tourism, 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 another category. Besides the four main categories, the ‘other’ category is where one can vote for their personal favourites 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.
The spokesman said that Prime Minister will launch the ‘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 the Prime Minister, wherein he requested that Indian diaspora members encourage at least five 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.