Jammu– Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched multiple development projects, including for education, railway, aviation and road sectors, in Jammu and Kashmir worth over Rs 32,000 crore.
From Jammu, the prime minister also launched or laid foundation stone of projects worth Rs 13,500 crore across the country.
These projects include Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and central universities.
Modi distributed appointment letters to about 1,500 newly recruited government employees of Jammu and Kashmir and also interacted with the beneficiaries of various schemes as part of the ‘Viksit Bharat, Viksit Jammu’ programme.
Among the railway projects that Modi inaugurated are the railway line between Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan (48 km) and the newly electrified Baramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan section (185.66 km).
He flagged off the first electric train in the Valley and the train service between Sangaldan and Baramulla stations.
The commissioning of the Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan section is significant as it features the usage of ballast less track (BLT) all along the route providing a better ride experience to passengers.
India’s longest transportation tunnel T-50 (12.77 km) lies in the portion between Khari and Sumber.
The railway projects are expected to improve connectivity, ensure environmental sustainability and boost the overall economic development of the region. The prime minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several projects worth about Rs 13,500 crore for other parts of the country.
The projects include permanent campuses for IIT Bhilai, IIT Tirupati, IIT Jammu, IIITDM Kancheepuram, Indian Institute of Skills (IIS), a pioneer skills training institute on advanced technologies located at Kanpur, and campuses of Central Sanskrit University at Devprayag (Uttarakhand) and Agartala (Tripura).
He also inaugurated three new IIMs in the country — IIM Jammu, IIM Bodh Gaya and IIM Visakhapatnam — besides 20 new buildings for Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) and 13 for new Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) buildings across the country.
As part of his government’s efforts to provide comprehensive, quality and holistic tertiary-care health services to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister also inaugurated the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Vijaypur (Samba), Jammu, officials said.
The institute, whose foundation stone was laid by him in February 2019, has been established under the central government’s ‘Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana’.
Set up at a cost of over Rs 1,660 crore and in an area spanning over 227 acres, the hospital is equipped with 720 beds, a medical college with 125 seats, a nursing college with 60 seats, an AYUSH block with 30 beds, residential accommodation for faculty and staff, hostel accommodation for UG and PG students and a shopping complex among other facilities.
Among other projects, Modi laid the foundation stone for a new terminal building at the Jammu airport.
Spread over 40,000 sqm, the new terminal building will be equipped with modern facilities catering to about 2,000 passengers during peak hours, and will be environment friendly.
Modi laid the foundation stone of important road projects including two stretches (44.22 km) of the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway connecting Jammu to Katra and phase-two for the four-laning of the Srinagar Ring road.
He laid the foundation stone for a project to develop the CUF (Common User Facility) petroleum depot at Jammu as well.
3 Crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought the support of the country’s women folk and said he wants to make three crore women in India “lakhpati didis”.
The prime minister lauded the beneficiaries of the Centre’s major schemes in Jammu and Kashmir for setting an example for the rest of the country. He interacted with the beneficiaries during his visit to Jammu to ascertain how the schemes have transformed the lives of the people in the Union Territory.
During a public rally, the PM encouraged a self-help group (SHG) head Kirti Sharma of Basohli area of Kathua district to leverage the loan scheme under Grameen Aajeevika scheme and contribute to the success of rural women.
Kirti, whose SHG had purchased three cows on a loan of Rs 1 lakh and repaid the loan, has a big cowshed now due to the efforts of several women.
She said, “The lives of women are changing and they are becoming the engines of change in rural India. The credit of the changes goes to such schemes gifted to us by the prime minister”.
Lauding Kirti for her contribution, the PM sought support from the country’s women folk and said he wants to make three crore women in India “lakhpati didis”.
“You have brought a revolution. I have a big dream for sisters like you who work in self-help groups. Among them, I want to make three crore women lakhpati didis. Can you help me with this?” the prime minister asked Kirti.
She replied saying she will fully support Modi’s mission of “lakhpati didis”.
“There are 5,871 women in groups in the district. I will help them become ‘lakhpati didis’ in order to help you,” she said.
Narrating her story, Kirti said that her group is named as Ayaan.
“I had no employment before joining a self-help group. I had no identity of my own. By joining the group, I got an opportunity to depend on self. I was successful in empowering other women. I took a loan of Rs 30,000 and purchased one cow. It has boosted my economy. We took three cows,” she said.
She further said her endeavour is to make women of these groups in the district self-dependent and empowered.
From farmers to SHG members, Modi interacted with five beneficiaries – including three from Jammu and two from Kashmir – to learn about the impact of schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), PM Kisan, Jal Jeevan Mission, National Rural Livelihood Mission, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), Ayushman Bharat, PM Ujjwala and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) on their lives.
The prime minister acknowledged the exemplary role played by Shaheen Begum, a post-graduate entrepreneur from north Kashmir’s Bandipora area.
Shaheen, a beneficiary of the Deendayal Antyodaya scheme, has transformed the lives of rural women in Kashmir by setting up SHGs and various units, including a poultry farm.
She credited the prime minister for her success, stating, “Your schemes have changed our lives. I never dreamt that such a change would take place. It was a difficult life for us but you changed it. We thank you, Sir.”
PM Modi praised Shaheen for her entrepreneurship skills and also commended her parents for educating her.
He said, “I bow before your parents for educating you. You are becoming a successful entrepreneur. That shows everything is possible under the Modi rule,” he said.
Continuing the engagement, he greeted Lal Mohammad, a Gujjar from Poonch district, who has successfully constructed a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).
Mohammad recited a poem in praise of Modi and India, expressing his support to them.
The prime minister extended greetings to Riyaz Ahmed Kohli from Pulwama and Veena Parihar from Atholi (Paddar) in Kishtwar district, the first time beneficiaries of the Jal Jeevan Mission and PM Ujjwala schemes which gave them piped water supply and gas connection respectively, in the remotest areas of J&K.
Kohli shared his story about the manner in which his remote village got connected through piped water under Jal Jeevan Mission to provide water supply to their village.
“We have got water connections for the first time since Independence. We got benefited from the forest rights law after the abrogation of Article 370. We thank you, Sir. I never thought about talking to the PM like this. We are fortunate to talk to you,” he said.
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