J&K Govt announces development of ‘Viksit village’ in every assembly in rural areas

JAMMU: The Jammu and Kashmir government on Tuesday announced the launch of a ‘Viksit village project’ aimed at holistic development of rural areas across all assemblies in the Union territory, with a substantial budgetary allocation under the 2026-27 capex.

Winding up the discussion on the grants to his department, Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmed Dar said, “I am happy to announce that in this budget we are introducing a Viksit village project fund, which will be given to all MLAs. We are announcing one ‘Viksit Village’ in every constituency”.

He said the project is aligned with the model village framework. “We propose to establish one model village in each legislative constituency in rural areas of Jammu and Kashmir, equipped with modern infrastructure, quality education facilities, healthcare services, and sustainable livelihood opportunities to ensure holistic upliftment of rural communities.”

Dar said the initiative builds on the earlier model village concept of the previous government, under which every constituency had received a model village fund through the concerned MLA, with additional components added over time.

Announcing the proposal during the budget presentation of rural development department, the minister said a dedicated financial allocation has been made for the establishment of one model village in each constituency.

“An outlay of Rs 1,800 lakh has been proposed under the Urban Development (UD) Capex 2026–27 for the flagship initiative,” he said adding that of this, Rs 90 crore has been earmarked under the community development programme, while Rs 38.50 crore will be routed through infrastructure of block development councils and district development councils.

The minister further said the development of one model village under the scheme would entail an estimated expenditure of around Rs 2 crore. “MLAs have been advised to identify suitable villages within their constituencies and implement development works based on components prepared at the gram panchayat level,” he said.

The initiative, Dar added, is expected to strengthen rural infrastructure and improve access to essential services across Jammu and Kashmir. (PTI)