In follow up to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s third visit to Jammu and Kashmir last week after abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Centre is deploying 60 to 70 Ministers on its third public outreach programme in the Union Territory.
Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia has triggered this series of the Union Ministers’ visits with his 3-day visit which concluded on Monday. He reached Srinagar on October 8.
Scindia met senior officials before a high level meeting with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar. Secretary Civil Aviation Rajiv Bansal and other senior officials have interacted with different stakeholders during Scindia’s visit which happened nearly a year after Shah launched a direct daily flight between Srinagar and Sharjah.
Before Scindia’s departure for New Delhi on Monday, 10 October, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs John Barla also arrived in Srinagar. He is the second Union Minister visiting Jammu and Kashmir after Shah’s successful tour.
Soon after Shah’s visit, the Central Government on Saturday announced revival of the ‘Public Outreach Programme-III’ by 60-70 Ministers which actually started in June 2022 but was suspended shortly due to the UT Government’s preoccupation with the security arrangements for the annual Amarnath Yatra.
“Almost all the Union Ministers are scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir during this public outreach programme. It is likely to continue to the end of November”, officials said.
The Public Outreach Programme is conducted every year in Jammu and Kashmir by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs since abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. It started in January 2020. Last year it was held in September-October. This year, it was planned in May-June but was deferred due to the Amarnath Yatra.
Official sources said that the Union Ministers would visit the capital districts of Srinagar and Jammu as also the rural district headquarters. They would meet with the people and the UT’s senior officers and bureaucrats to launch and promote different flagship programmes of the Modi government. Quite a number of these programmes are related to the engagement of the youths and the women.
MoS Textiles John Barla is also accompanied by Additional Secretary Textiles Shantmanu. Sources said that the Minister would, among other engagements, visit the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) which is already operational in Kashmir. A major complex for housing of the NIFT is currently nearing completion at Khanpora near Budgam.
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