PM in Srinagar today, first since Article 370 scrapping

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, 7 March 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to address a public meeting and unveil multiple development projects worth more than Rs 6,400 crore in Srinagar on Thursday.

In his first visit to Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, the Prime Minister will also attend the ’Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir’ programme at the stadium in Srinagar.

According to an official statement, PM Narendra Modi will launch nationwide projects related to the tourism sector worth more than Rs 1,400 crore under the ’Swadesh Darshan’ and ’PRASHAD’ (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation And Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive) schemes, including a project for the integrated development of the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar.

He will launch the ’Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice Tourist Destination Poll’ and the ’Chalo India Global Diaspora’ campaign as well, besides announcing tourist destinations selected under the Challenge-Based Destination Development (CBDD) scheme.

PM Modi will distribute appointment letters to nearly 1,000 newly recruited government employees in Jammu and Kashmir and also interact with the beneficiaries of various central schemes, including women achievers, farmers and entrepreneurs, the statement said.

In a step that will provide a major boost to the agri-economy of the region under the ’Holistic Agriculture Development Programme’ (HADP) to be launched by the Prime Minister, the statement said, it will cover the full spectrum of activities in three major domains of horticulture, agriculture and livestock husbandry.

The programme is expected to equip about 2.5 lakh farmers with skill-development training and about 2,000 farmers’ service centres will be established and robust value chains put in place for the welfare of the farming community.

The tourism projects to be launched by PM Modi are in line with his vision to improve the overall experience of tourists and pilgrims visiting prominent pilgrimage and tourism sites across the country by building world-class infrastructure and amenities at these sites, the statement said.

Besides the Hazratbal shrine project, the initiatives include tourism facilities in the Northeast Circuit in Meghalaya, the Spiritual Circuit in Bihar and Rajasthan, the Rural and Tirthankar Circuit in Bihar and some other projects in states such as Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.

The Prime Minister will also launch 43 projects that will develop a wide range of pilgrimage and tourist sites across the country.

"The campaign is being launched based on the clarion call of the Prime Minister, wherein he requested Indian diaspora members to encourage at least five non-Indian friends to travel to India. With more than three crore overseas Indians, the Indian diaspora can serve as a powerful catalyst for Indian tourism, acting as cultural ambassadors," the statement said.

STRICT SECURITY IN PLACE

Meanwhile, stringent security arrangements have been put in place, and the Bakshi Stadium, the venue of the prime minister’s rally, has been draped in tricolour, news agency PTI reported.

With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner and opposition parties seeking an announcement on assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the Prime Minister’s scheduled visit has acquired a keen political dimension in terms of what he might have to say on the issue.

In Srinagar, several schools falling along the route to be taken by the Prime Minister were ordered closed for Wednesday and Thursday, while board examinations scheduled to be held on Thursday were postponed till next month.

Drones and CCTV cameras are being used for surveillance while foot patrolling by the security forces has been intensified in a two-kilometre radius around the venue.

Marine commandos have been deployed in the Jhelum River and Dal Lake to prevent the use of these water bodies for any subversive activities.

The BJP-led Centre abrogated the provisions of Article 370 on August 5, 2019,