What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
What TV doesn't, print can't; we deliver.
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to the development of Jammu and Kashmir is turning into a reality, with development works going on in full swing.
Speaking at an event in Srinagar, the minister stated that the PM’s development initiatives in J&K have created an emotional bond between the people and the country.
“Central schemes directly benefit the people and I am glad that work is going on at the ground level. People are investing in the economic development in the Union Territory of J&K because of the Central government’s farsighted decision to remove the bottleneck of Articles 370 and 35A,” he told media persons.
Puri said that a new dawn of development is now set in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 which could be judged from the fact that 25 new national highway projects have been sanctioned to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 11,721 crores.
“168 MoUs have been signed amounting to Rs 13,600 crores, seven new medical colleges have been sanctioned with medical seats increasing from 500 to 955, world’s highest railway bridge constructed in J&K, Vande Bharat Express is in operation from Jammu to Delhi and tourist footfall increased to more than one lakh,” he added.
Puri further said that under the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, some 12 lakh LPG connections have been provided under PM Ujjwala, 50,000 houses have been sanctioned under PMAY (U).
The minister also said that the petroleum prices have seen a sharp rise from July 2021 to August 2022 with a 43 per cent to 46 per cent increase in USA and Canada while India is the only country in the world where only a 2 per cent increase has been seen during that period.
When many countries in the world are witnessing a shortage of fuel and exorbitant price rises, there is no shortage of fuel in India even in the remotest corners of the country, he added.
Interacting with district administration officers in Srinagar, Puri said that the Centre is committed to achieving new milestones with respect to growth and development in Jammu and Kashmir.
He also reviewed the progress of work on various development projects and work done as per government schemes like PM Awas Yojana, PM Ujwala, PM SVANidhi, SBM 2.0 and Amrut 2.0.
During the review meeting, the minister said that the application of modern technology to solid waste management is the need of the hour and Srinagar will be among the cities where such strategies will be adopted on a priority basis.
He said that there is a need to process the waste as per modern standards to avoid dumping it at one location, which is hazardous to the ecosystem.
Interacting with the beneficiaries of various centrally-sponsored schemes, Puri said that there are many schemes and projects under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs that people need to take advantage of. He added that we could now improve resource utilisation through the use of technology better than the earlier times.
