‘Frame road-map to position UT as world class tourism place’
*Recommends gearing up of work on projects
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 11: Stating that robust infrastructure creates conducive environment for investments in industries and subsequent opportunities for entrepreneurship, the Department-Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs has stressed that industrial sector in Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir needs to be enhanced for generation of employment for local youth. Further, it has recommended the Union Territory administration to chalk out a road-map to position J&K as a world class tourism destination and take measures to speed up the projects which are in the pipeline.
In its report tabled in the Parliament, the Committee comprising of 31 Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha has observed, “investment of Rs 61,528 crore is being made in road connectivity, 5 National Highways, 2 Ring Roads and Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway are under execution and 99% eligible rural habitations are connected”.
“Jammu-Srinagar National Highway is nearing completion, which can substantially reduce travel time. Train service has been extended to Kashmir valley with a project cost of Rs 37,000 crore. Evening flights have been made operational and air traffic in Srinagar airport has been doubled in last five years”, the report said.
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Further, hydro power generation will be doubled by 2026 with addition of 4 hydro power generation projects of 3014 MWs, transmission capacity has been increased by 50% (4239 MVAs) through completion of 28 projects and distribution capacity increased by 40% (5708 MVAs) through completion of 194 projects.
The Parliamentary Panel has noted that administration of J&K UT has achieved major success with various projects in the sectors of road, rail and air connectivity, power generation and provision of drinking water in rural households are nearing completion.
“The Committee feels that empowerment in infrastructure projects creates conducive environment for investments in industries and creates opportunities for entrepreneurship in underdeveloped regions. We recommend that UT administration should take measures to monitor the progress of ongoing projects in these sectors and speed up the projects which are in pipeline”, read the observations and recommendations.
The Standing Committee, while acknowledging the measures taken by J&K administration to boost the tourism sector, has observed, “all time high tourist visits were recorded during 2024. Nine new tourist destination development proposals have been sent to Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India involving multilateral funding with robust master plan, governance mechanism, Government investment and private investment”.
“Further, promotion of tourist flow to Sonamarg round the year through operationlisation of Sonamarg tunnel has taken place. Moreover, 1/3rd of the Dal lake has been rejuvenated and 6.5 square kilometers has been cleared of lilies”, the report said.
Heartening to note that the tourists’ arrival in J&K for the last two years has increased manifold, the Committee said “tourism and hospitality sector, apart from generating large revenue, is a major source of livelihood for the people of J&K by creating employment opportunities and boosting local businesses”.
“This sector also contributes towards regional and rural development of Jammu and Kashmir. The UT administration should chalk out a road map to take initiatives to position J&K as a world class tourism destination, improve the tourist experience and create sustainable economic opportunities for the local population”, the Committee has recommended.
About employment opportunities for J&K youth, the Parliamentary Panel observed, “notwithstanding several steps taken by the UT administration unemployment still exists and this can be gauged from the fact that as per annual Periodic Labour Force Survey report 2023-24, the overall unemployment rate in J&K is 6.1% for the persons of age 15 years and above as against 3.2% of all India”
Stating that industrial sector in Jammu & Kashmir needs to be enhanced for generation of employment for the local youth, the Committee has recommended that initiatives should be taken to improve infrastructure—-investing in transportation, power supply and internet connectivity to make region more attractive for businesses and investors”.
“At the same time, by encouraging entrepreneurship, promoting tourism, enhancing education and skill development, the employment potential of Jammu and Kashmir can be significantly increased”, the Committee said, adding “providing loans on subsidized rates can also improve employment scenario in the UT”.
Further, it has recommended that administration of Jammu and Kashmir should take more concrete steps towards providing employment opportunities to educated youth of the UT and additional initiatives should be taken for implementation of self-employment schemes across various sectors to establish sustainable income generating ventures for unemployed youth.
“Handicraft sector in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is one of the largest employment generation sources in the region. The administration should strive for Geographical Indication (GI) tagging of each and every crafts of the region as it can promote cultural heritage and economic growth as with GI tagged product, the producers are able to get significantly better prices for their products”, the Parliamentary Panel said.
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