Ahead of the beginning of the poll battle on ground zero, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be arriving in Kashmir Valley, for the first time after the Abrogation of Article 370, on Thursday to participate in the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir’ programme.
Modi’s visit to the valley is aimed at galvanising the party cadre and bolstering the party’s poll campaign. The mass contact programme of the Prime Minister has also raised the hopes of residents in the valley as they are anticipating the conduct of the Assembly polls alongside Lok Sabha polls.
By winning the hearts and minds of the people of Kashmir, the Prime Minister will be sending a firm message to the political opponents who often raise fingers questioning the Kashmir policy of the ruling dispensation.
To welcome the Prime Minister, Srinagar city has been decked up with king-size hoardings and party flags along the fortified route leading to the venue of the public rally at Bakshi stadium. The entire Bakshi stadium has been draped in colours of India. Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place to ensure an incident-free culmination of the programme.
High-rise buildings surrounding the venue have been occupied, and sharpshooters have been deployed to ensure a secure environment.
In addition to ground surveillance, strong aerial surveillance has been implemented to monitor the area. 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 Jhelum River and Dal Lake to prevent the use of these water bodies for any subversive activities.
In Srinagar, several schools falling along the route to be taken by the Prime Minister have been closed for Wednesday and Thursday while board examinations scheduled to be held on Thursday have been postponed till next month.
Before addressing the public gathering, the Prime Minister is scheduled to unveil projects worth more than Rs 6,400 crore including Rs 5,000 crore for boosting the agri-economy in the Union Territory.
According to an official handout issued by the Press Information Bureau, the Prime Minister 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.
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 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, 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.
He will also launch the first-ever countrywide initiative to identify the pulse of the nation on tourism in the form of ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice 2024’, the statement said.
The ‘Chalo India Global Diaspora’ Campaign aims to inspire the Indian diaspora to become Incredible India ambassadors and promote tourism in India.
“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.
