Srinagar, Nov 23: In her first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated development projects worth Rs 165 crore in Jammu and Kashmir. These include Jhelum and Tawi flood recovery projects.

 

 

The finance minister inaugurated work pertaining to health, education, urban infrastructure, and disaster management - amounting to ₹130.49 crores. Apart from that, the minister also laid the foundation stone for the UT-level emergency operation centre and SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) control building at Budgam — amounting to ₹34.88 crore under the Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP).

 

 

According to a statement from the Finance Ministry, the sub-projects are part of the JTFRP which is assisted by a credit of $250 million from the World Bank. The project was started in J&K in the aftermath of the devastating floods of September 2014 which severely affected low lying areas of Anantnag, Srinagar and adjoining districts, causing immense damage to housing, livelihood, and roads and bridges.

 

 

It has been under implementation by Jammu and Kashmir administration government as part of the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) for the union territory since its effective date of March 19, 2016. The project aims at both restoring essential services disrupted by the floods and improving the design standard and practices to increase resilience.

 

Tthe high social impact of JTFRP was felt in the Covid-19 pandemic response by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, wherein an amount of $50 million was allocated and utilised by activating the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) under the project. Medical equipment worth ₹290 crore and 30 oxygen generating plants at a total cost of ₹75 crore were procured, thereby, giving a boost to the health infrastructure to cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic.

 

 

In a significant step towards self-reliance of artisans of the Union territory, many artisan clusters were developed under this project with an objective of reviving the traditional crafts and providing gainful employment opportunities to youth. One major recent achievement of the project has been the enlistment of Srinagar city in the UNESCO world creative cities network. Srinagar became one of the 49 cities worldwide to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) under the Craft & Folk Arts category which is a moment of pride for all Indians.