Says demand like creation of Pahari district is genuine
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Feb 3: Alleging that justice was not done with Jammu Division in re-organization of the districts during the UPA Government, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has said that appropriate measures will be taken by the BJP when fresh panel is formed next time for the creation of new districts.
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“Whenever the panel for creation of new districts is formed, genuine demands like creation of Pahari District comprising Billawar, Bani and Basohli areas will be accommodated,” he said while responding to queries by the media persons on the sidelines of a workshop at CSIR-IIIM Jammu, here today.
Alleging injustice with Jammu to appease Kashmir, the Union Minister reminded that BJP was not in power either in the State or Centre when the re-organization of districts was done in 2006 and hence their party suggestions were not taken into account by then Government.
Pertinent to mention that eight new districts were created in the erstwhile State in 2006 during the UPA Government at Centre and Congress-PDP rule in J&K. Even as Gajendra Gadkar Commission had recommended creation of three new districts in Jammu province and one more in Kashmir, then Government carved out four new districts in each division for a balancing act.
Earlier, while speaking after chairing the first-of-its-kind meeting with DDCs for fostering connect with the society for StartUp promotion in the region, the Union Minister pitched for more public-private partnership in Agri Startups, He said that the era of silos was over and hence collaboration should be fostered among public and private sectors.
Underlining the importance of generating awareness about cultivation of Himalayan resources like lavender, he called upon the DDC members to play their part in this endeavour so that a large number of youth in their areas can join Agri Start-ups and earn their livelihoods in a sustainable manner and contribute to India’s GDP.
Describing J&K’s Aroma Mission as a success story, Dr Jitendra Singh called for investing time and efforts to harness the hitherto unexplored or under-explored areas, contending that these areas hold the key to propelling India’s economy.
“Agri Startups are fast becoming avenues of self-employment for youth of the Union Territory and Jammu Kashmir born Aroma Mission will be among the torchbearers of Viksit Bharat,” he said.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, J&K has also become a role model for the rest of India, which was exemplified by the depiction of lavender farms of Bhaderwah town of district Doda, through a tableau in the national capital on the occasion of the Republic Day. He said the youth of J&K associated with the Aroma Startup ecosystem have emerged as brand ambassadors of Purple Revolution across the country.
The Minister also called upon CSIR-IIIM to conduct research and find out which new crops are feasible for cultivation based on the topography of different regions of Jammu and Kashmir.
Dr Jitendra Singh stressed that more and more people need to be engaged in the Agri-Startup ecosystem. He informed that in the last 10 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the number of Start-ups in the country has crossed one-and-a- half-lakh mark.
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