SRINAGAR, July 4: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday appealed to the general public to visit Jammu and Kashmir, the region recently hit by several terror killings.
“I want to tell the public that the people here are waiting to welcome with their hearts filled with love and warmth. So, come here without fear and set a new example of love and brotherhood.” Chouhan said.
The agriculture and rural development minister was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the sixth convocation of the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST).
The convocation was also attended by J-K LG Manoj Sinha and CM Omar Abdullah.
The Union minister’s appeal comes after a slump in tourism in the wake of the April 22 Pahalgam attack in which 25 tourists and a local pony operator were gunned down by terrorists.
“I have been in Srinagar since yesterday, and have been among the people continuously. The calmness of air, smell of the soil, the natural beauty and love shown by the people has won over my heart. This truly is the jewel crown of India and heaven on earth,” he said.
“I also visited Dal Lake and took a shikara ride there. An emotional incident that touched my heart was when a shikara wala asked me ‘Mama, ask the people to come here. Our hearts are filled with love for them,’” he said.
Chouhan said he held meetings with Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and discussed agriculture and rural development initiatives with him.
He said the Centre strives to make J-K a hub of horticulture and has to that end decided to set up a Rs 150 crore clean plant centre for apple, almond, and walnut.
“The farmers need good quality, disease-free plants and this centre will provide that. Subsidy will also be given to those who set up private nurseries. A tissue culture lab for saffron will moreover be established,” he said.
He said that under the PM Awaas Yojana, a survey of five lakh people has been done, and they will be given houses after verification.
Earlier, addressing students, he said, “We are number five in the state universities rankings, and it is my belief that we will soon reach number one.”
The former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said he wants to see Kashmir’s apple reaching every corner of the world.
“We have to make India the food basket of the world,” he said.
J-K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who is also the chancellor of the university, congratulated SKUAST for shaping up the farm sector in the Union Territory.
He also congratulated the university for remarkable improvement in the ranking, and wished the students for their bright future.
“Out of 150 students conferred with gold medals, 115 are women students. Out of 445 certificates of merit, 334 are being conferred to girls. It reflects a bright future for J-K and the nation,” he said.
The LG also called upon the students and faculty to make the campus a leading research facility.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, the pro-chancellor of the varsity, lauded SKUAST for not just being a graduate factory but giving problem solvers at the grassroots.
He said that over 70 per cent of the Indian population is directly or indirectly connected to agriculture, even as he asked the students to be bold with their ideas, and not look for jobs, but rather create them.
Abdullah said J-K is on a path of social, economic, and political transformation and called upon the students to help the government shape this change.
Earlier, in a pledge ceremony led by the pro-chancellor, students vowed to uphold truth, duty, perseverance, and progress.
