Home Minister Amit Shah likely to visit Jammu & Kashmir this month

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NEW DELHI, Oct 5:Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir in October end as part of the Centre’s mega outreach programme, government sources said.
As per the current plan, an official, requesting anonymity, said that the Minister may visit Jammu and Kashmir from October 23 to 25.
As per the official, the date may be preponed to October 22 as it is a tentative schedule, but “the Minister will visit the Union Territory for at least three days. The date may shift from October 22 to October 24 or it will be the same October 23 to October 25”.
In his three-day visit both in Jammu as well as Kashmir region, the official said, the Home Minister will “lay the foundation stone of some projects, inaugurate a few developmental projects and chair different meetings over security and developmental issues”.
During his visit, Shah will also meet people residing in remote areas of Kashmir valley and will also be visiting Jammu. Shah’s focus is primarily on ensuring that the benefits of growth and development reach the poorest of the poor in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Home Minister’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir is seen as part of the Central government’s mega outreach program in the Union Territory in which 70 Union Ministers are visiting Jammu and Kashmir. The second edition of the Central government’s mega outreach program started on September 8 this year and will conclude with a visit of Home Minister Shah.
The central government’s first mega outreach program took place during January 18-24 last year in which 36 Union Ministers visited Jammu and Kashmir. The aim of this program is to review ongoing projects in Jammu and Kashmir and development that have taken place post abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.
During their visit, Union Ministers have so far interacted with locals, administration, and representatives of the Panchayati Raj institutions. They have visited remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir mainly South Kashmir, which was once considered a “hotbed of terrorism”.
After the visit, all the Ministers last year submitted their reports to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the same process will be followed this year too. (Agencies)